Nov 22, 2024

Turkey, Pumpkin, Cranberries; I can hardly wait. First, some art.

by Jane M. Mason

I love Thanksgiving.

I know the new retail tradition is to slide from Halloween straight into the Christmas season. Shopping, shopping, and more shopping.

But I'm reminding us to embrace the simple messages of Thanksgiving.

Gratitude, family, friends, food, and maybe football for those who partake. :-)

A nostalgic look back at football circa 1903, from the collection of The Met, NYC. A cover of Harpers 1903..

The food for me is about turkey, pumpkin (and other pies), and cranberries. As a Midwesterner, I tip my hat to the huge contribution Wisconsin makes to our Thanksgiving feast. CRANBERRIES!

Cranberries

Wisconsin is the leading grower of cranberries, producing about 60 percent of the U.S crop. Other cranberry producing states include Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington. Wisconsin clearly leads the way though.

The following is from Martha Stewart’s website about the history of cranberries and its traditions at the first harvest celebration with the Wampanoag people in 1621:

While not much is known about the food consumed by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag at what we consider the first Thanksgiving, it likely included deer instead of turkey, corn, cranberries, and shellfish.

"The Wampanoag tribe used cranberries for a variety of things including dye, medicine, and food." The cranberry eaten at that festival "was probably pemmican, a dish of crushed cranberries and dried meat. There are reports of what we consider traditional cranberry sauce, stewing the cranberries in water and sugar, dating back to the 1630s.

I don't have additional information on this image, but it appears that these are townsfolk in the fields, not traditional farmhands. There is an elderly gentleman in a hat sitting on a chair, children, and many women in attire appropriate for church. Was this an activity for post-church community?

Scanned from Eastman Johnson Painting America, Public Domain.

The early derivation of the name "cranberry" in North America was “crane berry” because the blossoms in summer resembled the head of a sandhill crane.

Pumpkin

Cucurbita pepo, from Icones plantarum medico-oeconomico-technologicarum cum earum fructus ususque descriptione =Abbildungen aller medizinisch-ökonomisch-technologischen Gewächse mit der Beschreibung ihres Gebrauches und Nutzens. By Ferdinand Bernhard Vietz. 1804. Biodiversity Heritage Library https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/6465#/summary (contributed by the Missouri Botanical Garden)

We can't forget the pumpkin!

In another nod to the Midwest's contribution to our feast, Illinois produces about 40% of the pumpkins in the US.

Morton, IL, near Peoria, is the pumpkin capital of the world; 90% of the world's canned pumpkin is processed at the Libby plant in Morton. I used to live in Peoria, IL. and in the autumn, outside Morton, it was really something to see Libby's pumpkin fields.

Image from the Discover Peoria Blog Post, 2022.

Pumpkin has been an important food crop in North American for hundreds of years. New Englanders in the 1660s were using pumpkins in many iterations, as had the Native people long before the Europeans arrived. The history of pumpkins in the US and specifically the history of pumpkin pie is shared in a Library of Congress Blog, A Brief History of Pumpkin Pie in America.

"Adriaen van der Donck, an early landowner and the first lawyer in New Netherland, presented a wonderfully detailed description of the natural and cultural worlds of that Dutch colony and its environs in 1655. His observations on squashes and pumpkins, which take up much of the chapter on 'Vegetables,' include the comment that 'the English, who are fond of tasty food, like pumpkins very much and use them also in pies, and know how to make a beverage from them.'"
Library of Congress Blog, A Brief History of Pumpkin Pie in America

November 20, 2017, Ellen Terrell

A beverage? A precursor to pumpkin spice lattes? Or the pumpkin beers of Octoberfest? LOL. But I imagine there was some sort of fermentation happening in those beverages of the New Englanders.

Surprisingly, a pumpkin pie recipe, not too different than ours today, was included in the first cook book published in America in 1796. Amelia Simmons’ American Cookery, was written by an American woman!

I learned so much and had so much fun reading about the development of pumpkin pie recipes. I highly recommend this downloadable PDF from the LOC. https://blogs.loc.gov/inside_adams/2017/11/a-brief-history-of-pumpkin-pie-in-america/

This verse which I had always associated with Christmas, as written in this version from 1844, refers to a pumpkin pie. Suggesting more of a Thanksgiving appeal.

Lydia Maria Child, Flowers for Children. Part II, For children from four to six years old, 1844: p. 28.
From the Rare Book and Special Collections, Library of Congress.

The Art of Thanksgiving

Some of the traditional images celebrating Thanksgiving take us through a history of illustration,

This Harpers Bazar cover is from 1894. Much of the style for illustrated magazine covers at the time was influenced by the Japanese woodblock techniques that had become popular in Europe.

From the NYPL, digital collection, representing Thanksgiving 1904. I couldn't find an inspiration for this illustration of a woman apparently in Scottish attire proudly showing her catch of a wild turkey.
Could it be related to that fact that from 1904-1913 "600,000 Scots, 13% of the population, emigrated for North America, the Commonwealth and elsewhere in the UK, taking with them a disproportionate share of Scotland's skills and education."
Is this an acknowledgement of Scottish skills and Scottish beauties leaving the homeland for America?

One of the most iconic paintings of a Thanksgiving meal was painted by Norman Rockwell, for a 1943 edition of the Saturday Evening Post. It appeared in the March issue so it wasn't initially developed as a Thanksgiving image.

The painting was surprisingly controversial. The military objected to the fact the Rockwell was "not a real art man," merely an illustrator. Others objected to the abundance of food and the overall extravagance while Europe was in the midst of war and want.

The painting was created to depict "Freedom From Want" underscoring the purpose of fighting against tyrants and strongmen. Yet, the US military refused to approve the use of this painting in support for the soldiers.

Later, the military changed positions and adopted this painting as an image for war bonds and raised over $132 in bonds and stamps.

The cornucopia used to be a common symbol of gratitude for an abundant harvest, yet we see it less frequently now The image below is my favorite cornucopia in art. A bronze version at the bottom of a column.

I didn't note where i originally found this image, and I am unable to source it now. Let me know if you find a reference for it.

North American Fine Crafts Are Drawn to Holiday Traditions

The stylized turkey below is an example of contemporary American textile art designed in a traditional pattern. It was hooked by a member of Loopy Ladies Rug Hooking Guild, Lake County, Ilinois, and was designed by Catherine Stephen at Red Barn Rugs. The colors are muted, which is the decision of the rug hooker. Typically as in this case, the style of the pattern often suggests a color harmony. The pattern includes symbols of fall and Thanksgiving: the turkey, the pumpkin and the sunflower.

From the New York Public Library digital collection. A post card for the holiday.

Thinking about being grateful, I am so thankful for the libraries, the museums, and other digital collections that I dive into to share these amazing stories and images.

So, as you sit down to your holiday dinner, whether you are at home or away, with a crowd or alone, and no matter what the tumult is around us, take a moment to reflect on the blessings that we share. Thanksgiving itself is a blessing.