Item #21579 The Geneva Cook Book [Elizabeth Blackwell Association] [Scarce 19th-Century Charity Cookbook] [New York]. the Woman's Board of the Medical, Surgical Hospital of Geneva.
The Geneva Cook Book [Elizabeth Blackwell Association] [Scarce 19th-Century Charity Cookbook] [New York]
The Geneva Cook Book [Elizabeth Blackwell Association] [Scarce 19th-Century Charity Cookbook] [New York]
The Geneva Cook Book [Elizabeth Blackwell Association] [Scarce 19th-Century Charity Cookbook] [New York]
The Geneva Cook Book [Elizabeth Blackwell Association] [Scarce 19th-Century Charity Cookbook] [New York]
The Geneva Cook Book [Elizabeth Blackwell Association] [Scarce 19th-Century Charity Cookbook] [New York]
The Geneva Cook Book [Elizabeth Blackwell Association] [Scarce 19th-Century Charity Cookbook] [New York]
The Geneva Cook Book [Elizabeth Blackwell Association] [Scarce 19th-Century Charity Cookbook] [New York]

The Geneva Cook Book [Elizabeth Blackwell Association] [Scarce 19th-Century Charity Cookbook] [New York]

Geneva, NY: Press of W.F. Humphrey, 1895. First Edition, First Printing. Cloth Hardcover.

A foundational artifact of women’s medical history, compiled to fund the hospital that served as the alma mater for Elizabeth Blackwell—the first woman in the United States to receive an M.D.
This scarce 1895 'Charity Cookbook' represents a sophisticated intersection of domestic science and professional medical fundraising in the post-Civil War era. 

More than a recipe collection, it is a primary document of 19th-century women’s organizational power, featuring unique 'narrative-style' recipes and extensive local advertising from the Finger Lakes region during a pivotal moment for female physicians.
The text is uniquely structured in narrative 'essay-style' recipes and is heavily interspersed with charming period advertising for Finger Lakes banks, retailers, and cookstoves.

KEY FEATURES 
+++ Visuals: Interspersed with significant local advertising matter from 19th-century Geneva, NY. 
+++ Binding: Original patterned cloth boards lettered in grey. 
+++ Content: A comprehensive guide to 'Culinary Science' featuring meats, sauces, and breads, explicitly designed to educate women in efficient, scholarly homemaking. 
+++ Historical Context: Directly linked to the legacy of Geneva Medical College and the pioneering female medical movement in Upstate New York. 
+++ Rarity: Uncommon; OCLC/WorldCat records only 8 institutional copies worldwide. +++ Specs: 9.25 inches tall / 240 pages.

CONDITION: Very Good -- Bindings are tight and square; front hinge is starting but holding firmly. Text is clean with light, even toning. Boards show expected rubbing and handling wear consistent with a 19th-century kitchen-used volume. A solid, unsophisticated example.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE -- 
Charity cookbooks of the late 19th century were the primary engine for women’s local philanthropy. The 'Geneva Cook Book' is a standout example, as it funded the Medical and Surgical Hospital in a city already famous for breaking the gender barrier in medicine. By framing housekeeping as 'Culinary Science,' the Woman’s Board positioned domestic labor as a professional discipline equal to the medical training occurring within the hospital's walls.

The presence of local advertising makes this a vital genealogical and economic record of the Finger Lakes region. For the culinary historian, the narrative recipe format (pre-dating the standardized ingredient lists of the 20th century) offers a window into the transition of American cooking from folk tradition to measured science.

SUBJECTS: Geneva NY, Finger Lakes History, Charity Cookbooks, Elizabeth Blackwell, Women in Medicine, Culinary History, 19th Century Advertising, Domestic Science, Cookbook, Americana, Women’s History, Regional Printing.

Item #21579

Price: $250.00

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