Food & Drink History Resources @Virginia Tech (and Beyond): Wartime & Military Cooking & Food
Special Collections in the University Libraries can help with your food & drink history research, including books, manuscript collections, ephemera & digital items. This LibGuide also includes resources you can find at other institutions.
An Introductory Note
Generally speaking, our military and wartime culinary materials are largely United States based and focused. These are books, publications, and manuscripts related to the U. S. military, U. S. experiences in conflicts, or are connected to U. S. military experiences abroad. However, you may also find some sources relating to non-U.S. military in the collection, though this is not our main focus. Items with short descriptions after them usually indicate manuscript collections and the links will take you the finding aid; items without descriptions usually indicate books or other cataloged publications and the links will take you to the catalog record.
Suggested resources below are organized by conflict or time period between conflicts. Resources can include books and manuscripts created at the time or at later dates (primary sources), as well as research on those eras (secondary sources).
Special Collections Culinary Links
From Knox Gelatine: Desserts, Salads, Candies and Frozen Dishes, c.1936
- History of Food & Drink Manuscript Collections
- Digitized Manuscript Collections
- Digitized Books
- What's Cookin' @Special Collections (blog)
- About the History of Food & Drink collecting area
- History of Food & Drink LibGuide
- Infant, Child, & Family Nutrition Resources LibGuide
- Cocktail History in America LibGuide
Early America (1607-1860)
- Revolutionary Recipes: Colonial Food, Lore, & More by Patricia B. Mitchell TX715 .M6838 1991 Spec Large
- Soyer's Culinary Campaign: Being Historical Reminiscences of the Late War. With the Plain Wit of Cookery for Military and Civil Institutions the Army, Navy, Public, etc. etc., by Alexis Soyer DK214 .S73 Spec Small
American Civil War (1861-1865)
- An Army Wife's Cookbook, with Household Hints and Home Remedies, by Alice Kirk Grierson TX715 .G8433 1972 Spec Large
- Confederate Camp Cooking by Patricia B. Mitchell TX715.2.S68 M68 1991 Spec Civil War
- J. E. Cooley [New York] Advertising Broadside, 1863 (Ms2012-007)Single-page advertising flyer for J. E. Cooley, merchant, New York, NY, dated 1863. Flyer lists prices for a wide range of grocery items, including cheese, butter, fruits, grains, poultry and "sundries." Prices are handwritten alongside item listings.
- John S. Powers Letter, 1862 (Ms2015-047)The collection includes a letter from John S. Powers to Nellie E. Williams describing the state of living in the recruitment camp and the city of Alexandria. The letter was written from a camp on November 23, 1862. Powers writes about sites local to Alexandria (including the Marshall House) and news from his regiment. Powers' letter includes his observation of the area where he is stationed and reminisces over apples from his home in Massachusetts.
- Ladies Monumental Association [Columbus, Mississippi] Receipt, 1873 (Ms2013-045)The collection consists of a receipt for the Ladies Monumental Association in Columbus, Mississippi, for the purchase of oysters, ice, and express freight of the order. The receipt is signed by supplier Henry Zorn, on February 17, 1873, and records two itemized purchases from February 13 and 14, totalling $36.40. The association was involved in fundraising for a monument built in 1874 dedicated to the veterans of the Civil War, so it seems likely the oysters were for a benefit event.
- Lt. Col. A. P. Porter Copybook, 1862-1863 (Ms2001-001)The collection includes a copybook and letters written by Union Lieutenant Colonel A. P. Porter in 1862 and 1863 that document the transportation, inventory, and distribution of supply rations during the Civil War. The letters are written in chronological order within the copybook with about 22 outstanding letters that have been torn from the book, also arranged in chronological order.
- Meade & Baker Apothecary Ledger, 1861-1870 (Ms2009-130)This collection consists of a single accounts ledger from Meade & Baker, a pharmaceutical business in Richmond, Virginia during the latter half of the nineteenth century. Containing more than 600 pages, the ledger appears to be a daybook, recording customer names and addresses, dates of purchases, itemized lists of purchases, and payments. The store's sales consisted almost entirely of pharmaceuticals and related health and beauty goods, but the ledger also records sales for such household items as spices, chewing tobacco, stamps, and pencils.
- Military & Wartime Cookery Collection, 1884-1965 (bulk, 1917-1945) (Ms2017-029)The Military & Wartime Cookery Collection consists of a variety of manuscript and ephemeral materials relating to the history of military and wartime food and cooking. Items in the collection date from 1884 to 1965, though the bulk of the collection covers parts of World War I through World War II (1917-1945). Formats and items include (but are not limited to) menus, U.S. Government publications from various agencies, corporate sponsored pamphlets, ration books, recipes, and a photograph album. While the majority of the collection relates to U. S. military and wartime cooking or food history in America, there are some items relating to British military or U. S. military abroad. This collection also contains a group of publications and books which were cataloged for Special Collections and are listed in the finding aid.
- Myers Bros. & Co. Trade Card, late 1860s-early 1900s (likely c. early 1870s) (Ms2012-046)The Myers Bros. and Co. Trade Card shows a Confederate soldier swapping tobacco with a Union soldier in exchange for a bag of coffee. The back includes dialogue for the scene and is imprinted by the product's Boston agent.
- Southwest Virginia Counties Collection, 1783-1878 (Ms2000-092)The collection includes letters from various members of the Godwin, Young, Trevey, Williams and other families of Botetourt, Rockbridge, and Roanoke Counties establishes the relationship between them. In addition to correspondence, the collection also contains deeds, promissory notes, invoices for goods and services, toll bridge fee receipt, a child's watercolor, 13 pen and ink drawings of weaver's coverlet designs with titles of designs included. The collection also contains five bound leather volumes include accounts and recipes.
- A Taste for War: The Culinary History of the Blue and Gray by William C. DavisPlease note: the copy in Special Collections is an uncorrected proof. A copy of the final publication is available for borrowing through the main library.
- Union Army Camp Cooking by Patricia B. Mitchell UC723 .M58 1991 Spec Civil War
- William H. Noyes Letter, 1861 (Ms2015-049)The William H. Noyes Letter includes a description of the climate, food price and availability, the camp set up, and a hand drawn map in correspondence to his family.
- William S. Tippett Letter, 1864 (Ms2013-060)The collection consists of a single letter from Sgt William S. Tippett to his wife, Maggie. Written from a parole camp in Annapolis, Maryland, the letter opens with Tippett's comments on news from home. A majority of the letter, however,details his stay in Belle Island prison (Richmond) from September 1863 until early March 1864. In particular, he describes the food (or lack of) and the poor conditions.
Mid-and Late 19th/Early 20th Century (1866-1914)
- An Army Wife's Cookbook, with Household Hints and Home Remedies, by Alice Kirk Grierson TX715 .G8433 1972 Spec Large
- Manual for Army Bakers UC723 .A4 1910 Spec Small
- Military & Wartime Cookery Collection, 1884-1965 (bulk, 1917-1945) (Ms2017-029)The Military & Wartime Cookery Collection consists of a variety of manuscript and ephemeral materials relating to the history of military and wartime food and cooking. Items in the collection date from 1884 to 1965, though the bulk of the collection covers parts of World War I through World War II (1917-1945). Formats and items include (but are not limited to) menus, U.S. Government publications from various agencies, corporate sponsored pamphlets, ration books, recipes, and a photograph album. While the majority of the collection relates to U. S. military and wartime cooking or food history in America, there are some items relating to British military or U. S. military abroad. This collection also contains a group of publications and books which were cataloged for Special Collections and are listed in the finding aid.
World War I (1914-1919)
- Culinary Pamphlet Collection, c.1870s-1990s (Ms2011-002)The collection includes small publications and pamphlets created and distributed by culinary, appliance, and food-related companies from about the 1870s to the 1990s. Most pamphlets contain advertisements, recipes, product information, testimonials, or some combination of all four.
- Extracts from the Manual for Army Cooks: July 1917 UC723 .A53 1917 Spec Small
- Food Advertisement Collection, 1894-1962 (Ms2017-020)The Food Advertisement Collection consists of single page advertisements for a variety of food products, largely pulled from magazines. Items dates from 1894 to 1962, with the majority from the 1910s-1940s. Ads included are for baby foods, dairy products, cooking/baking items, and peanuts/peanut butter.
- From Home Sister to Second Lieutenant: Army Dietitians in World Wars I and II by Patricia A.M. Hodges TX715 .H63 2007 Spec Large
- Military & Wartime Cookery Collection, 1884-1965 (bulk, 1917-1945) (Ms2017-029)The Military & Wartime Cookery Collection consists of a variety of manuscript and ephemeral materials relating to the history of military and wartime food and cooking. Items in the collection date from 1884 to 1965, though the bulk of the collection covers parts of World War I through World War II (1917-1945). Formats and items include (but are not limited to) menus, U.S. Government publications from various agencies, corporate sponsored pamphlets, ration books, recipes, and a photograph album. While the majority of the collection relates to U. S. military and wartime cooking or food history in America, there are some items relating to British military or U. S. military abroad. This collection also contains a group of publications and books which were cataloged for Special Collections and are listed in the finding aid.
- National Agricultural Publications, 1917-present (Ms2011-022)The collection contains United States Department of Agriculture, War Food Administration, and other national agency publications on topics ranging from war-time food use and Victory gardens, kitchen appliances, preservation strategies, individual foods/food groups, and home demonstration. Publications date from 1917 to the present day.
World War I (1914-1919): Online Resources
- Core Historical Literature of Agriculture (CHLA)The Core Historical Literature of Agriculture (CHLA) is a core electronic collection of agricultural texts published between the early nineteenth century and the middle to late twentieth century. Full-text materials cover agricultural economics, agricultural engineering, animal science, crops and their protection, food science,forestry, human nutrition, rural sociology, and soil science.
- Library of Congress: World War I Posters (Food Propoganda)This collection makes available online approximately 1,900 posters created between 1914 and 1920. Most relate directly to the war. A smaller subset of the posters relate to food supplies and food propaganda from multiple sides of the war.
- NARA: World War I Posters, 1917-1919The posters in this series cover a number of very broad subject categories including; Agriculture, Conservation (many types), Education, Fuel Efficiency, Patriotism, Production (industrial as well as agricultural), Recruitment, and Security.
Between the World Wars (1920-1938)
- Military & Wartime Cookery Collection, 1884-1965 (bulk, 1917-1945) (Ms2017-029)The Military & Wartime Cookery Collection consists of a variety of manuscript and ephemeral materials relating to the history of military and wartime food and cooking. Items in the collection date from 1884 to 1965, though the bulk of the collection covers parts of World War I through World War II (1917-1945). Formats and items include (but are not limited to) menus, U.S. Government publications from various agencies, corporate sponsored pamphlets, ration books, recipes, and a photograph album. While the majority of the collection relates to U. S. military and wartime cooking or food history in America, there are some items relating to British military or U. S. military abroad. This collection also contains a group of publications and books which were cataloged for Special Collections and are listed in the finding aid.
World War II (1939-1945)
- The American Woman's Cook Book (Wartime ed.), edited and revised by Ruth Berolzheimer TX715 .A54 1943 Spec Large
- The Army Cook, prepared under the direction of the Quartermaster General UC723 .A7 1941 Spec Large
- Cooking on a Ration; Food is Still Fun TX715 .M653 1943 Spec Large
- Culinary Ephemera Collection, c.1900s-2000s (Ms2013-028)The Culinary Ephemera Collection was established in 2013. The collection consists of materials in a variety of formats (postcards, menus, children's activities, advertising pamphlets, and more) that relate to food, nutrition, and medicine, dating from the early 19th century to the present.
- Culinary Pamphlet Collection, c.1870s-1990s (Ms2011-002)The collection includes small publications and pamphlets created and distributed by culinary, appliance, and food-related companies from about the 1870s to the 1990s. Most pamphlets contain advertisements, recipes, product information, testimonials, or some combination of all four.
- Feeding the People in War-Time, by Sir John Orr and David Lubbock HD9011.5 .B6 Spec Small
- Food Advertisement Collection, 1894-1962 (Ms2017-020)The Food Advertisement Collection consists of single page advertisements for a variety of food products, largely pulled from magazines. Items dates from 1894 to 1962, with the majority from the 1910s-1940s. Ads included are for baby foods, dairy products, cooking/baking items, and peanuts/peanut butter.
- From Home Sister to Second Lieutenant: Army Dietitians in World Wars I and II by Patricia A.M. Hodges TX715 .H63 2007 Spec Large
- The Good Soldier's Lunch Call, presented as a wartime service with compliments of Southern Counties Gas Company UC723 .G66 Spec Large
- Handbook on Cutting Beef, prepared for the United States Army by the National Live Stock and Meat Board TX885 .N33 1942 Spec Folio
- Handbook on Cutting Lamb, prepared for the United States Army by the National Live Stock and Meat Board UC723 .A7 1941 Spec Large
- Hospital Diets, U. S. War Department UH487.A1 U5 1945 Spec Large
- The Impact of the War on Civilian Consumption in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada; Report of a Special Combined Sommittee set up by the Combined Production and Resources Board Docs Y3.C73/3:2C76 Spec Large
- Janet L. Cameron Collection, 1931-2001 (Ms2011-021)The collection includes biographical information about the life and career of Janet L. Cameron, a food and nutrition specialist with the Virginia Cooperative Extension from 1931-1964. Most of the collection consists of publications written by Cameron and others. There is also a folder of materials relating to Mary L. Thompson, a frequent co-author of Cameron's and the Virginia Home Economics Association.
- Military & Wartime Cookery Collection, 1884-1965 (bulk, 1917-1945) (Ms2017-029)The Military & Wartime Cookery Collection consists of a variety of manuscript and ephemeral materials relating to the history of military and wartime food and cooking. Items in the collection date from 1884 to 1965, though the bulk of the collection covers parts of World War I through World War II (1917-1945). Formats and items include (but are not limited to) menus, U.S. Government publications from various agencies, corporate sponsored pamphlets, ration books, recipes, and a photograph album. While the majority of the collection relates to U. S. military and wartime cooking or food history in America, there are some items relating to British military or U. S. military abroad. This collection also contains a group of publications and books which were cataloged for Special Collections and are listed in the finding aid.
- National Agricultural Publications, 1917-present (Ms2011-022)The collection contains United States Department of Agriculture, War Food Administration, and other national agency publications on topics ranging from war-time food use and Victory gardens, kitchen appliances, preservation strategies, individual foods/food groups, and home demonstration. Publications date from 1917 to the present day.
- Norfolk & Western Railway Menus, c. late 1940s-1960s? (Ms2013-080)The collection contains breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, and beverage menus from the Norfolk & Western Railway, as well as two unused carbon copy checks for Norfolk & Western Railway's Dining Car Service. The menus list prices and are in color or black & white. These menus describe a variety of dishes and full course meals, including the dining car's "Famous Salad Bowl... a meal in itself," Roast Sirloin of Beef, and Apple or Peach Pie, "baked on car today."
- Porterfield Family Papers, 1942-1945 (Ms1990-077)Packet of ration books used by the Porterfield family of Newport, Virginia, during World War II.
- State/Regional Home and Agricultural Publications, 1934-present (Ms2012-040)The collection contains publications on topics including, but not limited to: war-time food use and victory gardens, home planning and organization, food and cooking, home demonstration, and household management. Although the emphasis in on Virginia state and local agencies, materials may also originate from around the United States.
- Suggested Service Menus by the Institution Department, Kellogg Company UC723 .S845 1941 Spec Large
- World War II Sugar Rationing Pamphlets, 1941-1945 (Ms2015-048)The World War II Sugar Rationing Pamphlets include four pamphlets published during the height of food rationing in the United States during the Second World War. The pamphlets promote rationing of sugar at the homefront and provide recipes that can be made using a substitute for sugar.
World War II (1939-1945): Online Resources
- Core Historical Literature of Agriculture (CHLA)The Core Historical Literature of Agriculture (CHLA) is a core electronic collection of agricultural texts published between the early nineteenth century and the middle to late twentieth century. Full-text materials cover agricultural economics, agricultural engineering, animal science, crops and their protection, food science,forestry, human nutrition, rural sociology, and soil science.
- Northwestern University: WWII PostersView more than 300 World War II-era posters issued by various U.S. government agencies. They represent the government's effort, through art, illustration and photographs, to unite the American people in a time of adversity.
Post-World War II (1946-)
- An Army Wife's Cookbook, with Household Hints and Home Remedies, by Alice Kirk Grierson TX715 .G8433 1972 Spec Large
- Army Wife Cookery: P.I.--1947 [compiled by the Woman's Club of the 85th Fighter Wing at Florida Blanca Air Base, Luzon, P.I.] TX657.S6 A75 1947 Spec Large
- Military & Wartime Cookery Collection, 1884-1965 (bulk, 1917-1945) (Ms2017-029)The Military & Wartime Cookery Collection consists of a variety of manuscript and ephemeral materials relating to the history of military and wartime food and cooking. Items in the collection date from 1884 to 1965, though the bulk of the collection covers parts of World War I through World War II (1917-1945). Formats and items include (but are not limited to) menus, U.S. Government publications from various agencies, corporate sponsored pamphlets, ration books, recipes, and a photograph album. While the majority of the collection relates to U. S. military and wartime cooking or food history in America, there are some items relating to British military or U. S. military abroad. This collection also contains a group of publications and books which were cataloged for Special Collections and are listed in the finding aid.