Austin's Domestic Science

In the late 1800s, women wanted an education beyond the basics of reading, writing, and household management (many of which only received the last bit).  Some wanted to be able to colleges and universities and study sciences like chemistry and biology. However American women essentially had two barriers against their entrance into these fields.  The first being that few families had the financial resources to send women to higher education courses and the second being that society generally felt that giving women seats in hard science programs stole seats from men who could use the knowledge more productively. 

Le sigh.

But in 1862, something really important happened that wasn't the American Civil War. Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act granting land to each state or territory for higher education in the vocational arts, specifically mechanical arts; agriculture; and home economics. 

Why is this important?  

The Morrill Act opened a door for women to legitimize household management as a vocation and provided a socially palatable method for women to seek higher education under the auspices of creating healthier, stronger families. Suddenly women were allowed to study nutrition, plant biology and cell science, mathematics, chemistry, physics and a whole host of other subjects.  All under the educational umbrella of home economics.

By 1914, Domestic Science and Home Economics courses had also evolved into a way for single women (and wives who needed to contribute to the family finances) to learn domestic skills for the purposes of work outside of the home.  Many instructional books and courses were developed to cover the subject extensively, including Austin's Domestic Science.

Book I was intended for the first year of study, Book II was intended for second year of study, and Book III was intended for years 3&4.  It is acknowledged in the Book I text that some women would not be permitted to study past year 2 and so the first books are designed to cover "the practical ability to cook...in simpler forms. They will also have learned how to buy meats and vegetables and have a knowledge of nutritive values that will enable them to practice the art of cookery with intelligence."

This is Book 1, which covers the arrangement and care of the laboratory (kitchen), table manners, basic fruits and vegetables, soups and stews, meat and dairy, an entire chapter on macaroni and cheese (yes, please), how to purchase vegetables and coffee at market, and glossaries on common cooking terms and measurements. Pictures and diagrams are included throughout.

This is a charming book that gives the reader a sense of the educational opportunities and methods afforded to women in the early 1900s, including both students and the rigorous study and experimentation that women scientists must have undergone to develop the standards and texts in the first place.