Susie's New Stove: The Little Chef's Cookbook

Description (Brief):

Original artwork, of pages 10, 11, 24, and 25, for the book, Susie's New Stove: The Little Chef's Cookbook written by Annie North Bedford with illustrations by Corinne Malvern, and published by Simon & Schuster in New York, New York, in 1949.

Description (Brief)

Raised in New Jersey, Corinne Malvern (1901-1956) was a child actress who, along with her sister, performed in traveling plays, vaudeville and movies. After an accident in her teens, Malvern was forced to give up her acting career and later attended the Art Students League of New York. Proficient in watercolor, pastel, pencil and ink and paint, she launched a career as a commercial artist, and was known for her fashion illustrations and magazine covers. Shortly after, she teamed up with her sister, a children’s author, and began drawing children’s books, including seventeen for the Little Golden Book series, including Doctor Dan, Nurse Nancy, How Big?, Susie’s New Stove, and 5 Pennies to Spend.

Description (Brief)

The illustrations in Susie's New Stove reflect the traditional gender roles of the 1940s and 1950s and portrays the idyllic setting of home sweet home. The simple recipes included in the books gave little girls the chance to practice their culinary and homemaking skills. This is in stark contrast to the social upheaval that would emerge in the 1960s, challenging and altering perceptions of gender roles and civil rights.

Description (Brief)

Susie’ New Stove featured the “Little Chef” toy stove which had a working hot plate that could boil water. High-end models had a working hot plate and two functioning ovens that could be heated to 375 degrees. "Little Chef" is a trademark term used by Tacoma Metal Products, Tacoma Washington. maker of the stove.