Today I stumbled upon a treasure chest of 19th and early 20th century home economics textbooks when the field was treated like an actual science.
Admittedly, there is some incredibly outdated gender stereotyping and sexism because these books were written solely for the purpose of educating women on how to be a good housekeeper for your man.
Nonetheless, it's rich with real scientific analysis. Isabel Ely Lord was the director of the School of Household Sciences and Arts at Pratt from 1910 to 1920. From Brooklyn, NY, she was born in 1871 and died at the age of 88.
Housekeeping in a world before expensive branded products.
It’s funny how once women started entering the workforce the education system stopped teaching home economics. I guess if women weren’t going to learn how to take care of a house for a man then let’s just not teach them how to take care of a house at all.
Don Draper... this is all your fault.
Source: forgottenbooks.com