The following is written by Olson Graduate Research Assistant Anne Moore. 

It’s corn sweat season! Check out this top 10 list of corn-themed materials from Special Collections and Archives, which were on display last month at the Iowa Memorial Union (IMU)’s Lunch with the Chefs. This event is a special, themed lunch hosted by University Dining at the IMU. Originally introduced in 1995 by Chef Barry Greenberg, it has continued due to popularity. Special Collections often brings materials to these lunches, due to their Szathmary Culinary Manuscripts and Cookbooks collection providing a plethora of relevant options.

1. A Treatise on Cobbett’s Corn, Containing Instructions for Propagating and Cultivating the Plant, and for Harvesting and Preserving the Crop (1828)

Printed in 1828, this book by William Cobbett discusses the cultivation of American corn, while also taking a look at American agriculture and customs of the time. What makes this book extra cool is that the first two leaves of the book are printed on corn paper. (Szathmary Collection SB191.M2 C62)

2. “Wholesome-nutritious foods from corn” (ca. 1918)

During World War I, the U.S. Food Administration encouraged Americans on the home front to replace wheat products with corn to conserve the more expensive grain for troops abroad. This pamphlet by Lloyd Harrison helps promote new recipes that utilize corn. (Szathmary Collection D522.25.H377 1918)

3. The Corn Cook Book: War Edition (1918)

Responding to the call to use more corn products, cookbooks, such as this one by Elizabeth O. Hiller, provided recipes that utilized corn in a variety of households staples and promoted food conservation. (Szathmary Collection TX809.M2 H6 1918)

4. Szathmary Recipe Pamphlets

We might be cheating a bit here by bunching a few recipe pamphlets together as one item on this list, but we could not resist showing just a few of the pamphlets we have in Szathmary that promote corn and corn products. Find more of these pamphlets on Iowa Digital Library. (MsC1018)

5. “Iowa Corn Folk, at the Sesqui-Centennial International Exposition in Philadelphia” (1926)

These Corn Folk were created by Bertha Shambaugh for the Iowa Federation of Women’s Clubs and were chosen to represent Iowa in a doll exhibit at the 1926 World’s Fair. We have to say that they are absolutely a-maize-ing. (Shambaugh Family Papers, RG99.0152)

6. Henry Agard Wallace Papers

Henry A. Wallace was the 33rd Vice President of the United States, and an important Secretary of Agriculture in U.S. history. Serving under Franklin D. Roosevelt, he was a proponent of the New Deal and progressive agricultural policies aimed at alleviating the farm crisis and rural poverty. He was also a writer, farmer, and businessman, and developed several varieties of hybrid corn. View the finding aid for the Henry Agard Wallace papers online. (MsC0177)

7. Corn Flyer V. 1 No.1 (1943)

Corn Flyer was a publication of the U.S Naval Air Station in Ottumwa, Iowa, which served as a pilot training base during World War II. Future President Richard M. Nixon was stationed there for nine months, before being shipped out to the South Pacific in May of 1943. Over 4,600 cadets completed flight school at the station, surrounded by Iowa corn fields. (x-Collection VG94.5.O66 C6)

8. Greetings: the State of Iowa Welcomes You (1945)

In this Iowa tourism pamphlet from 1945, potential visitors can marvel at the tallest corn stalk in Iowa recorded at that time. (x-Collection F619.3.S73 1945)

9. Cooking in the Land of Corn (1945)

This is a collection of recipes from the ladies of St. Edward’s Parish in Waterloo, Iowa. Drawing on Iowa flavor, the cookbook also features reproductions of paintings by Grant Wood. Wood was an American painter known for his depictions of rural landscapes and farm life in the Midwest. Works such as “Young Corn” (1931) are prominent examples of the American Regionalism art movement. (Szathmary Collection TX715 .C759137 1950)

10. The New Karo All American Cook Book (1960s)

Karo Corn Syrup was first introduced by the Corn Products Refining Company in 1902. A massive and unprecedent marketing campaign followed, with full page adds for Karo published in the Ladies Home Journal, and free corn product cookbooks distributed nationwide. In the 1930s, the wife of an executive developed a recipe for pecan pie using Karo, and the dish became a national favorite. By the middle of the 20th century, Karo was a household name and corn syrup was a staple of the modern American diet. (Szathmary Collection TX715 .N52195 1960)

Bonus Item! Homecoming Corn Monuments

We could not resist adding just one more item that is close to our hearts. Corn monuments are a long-standing Hawkeye tradition dating back to the early 20th century. Every year, engineering students design and construct monuments made of corn to be displayed for homecoming. (Frederick W. Kent Photograph Collection, RG30.0001.001)

Check out more by visiting us in person or online at the Iowa Digital Library, InfoHawk+ and ArchiveSpace.