#corn doll

[house0fburton]

[wilderbas]

꥟ midsummer procession ꥟

happy lughnasadh folks!

[uispeccoll]

Highlights from the collection: corn edition

"Esther eating corn on edge of field, early 1900s." Noble Photograph collection IWA0031

It's corn sweat season here in the Midwest! As we curse the humidity caused by the corn, let's take a minute to also celebrate corn in all it's a-maize-ing glory. Here are a few of our favorite corn items in the collection!

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

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)

"Wholesome-nutritious foods from corn" (ca. 1918), Lloyd Harrison.

During World War I, the U.S. Food Administration encouraged Americans on the home front to replace wheat products with corn, in order to conserve the more expensive grain for troops abroad.

Szathmary Recipe Pamphlets

“Corn Products Cook Book,” ca. 1910, Emma Churchman Hewitt for Corn Products Refining Company (left). “Clinton Corn Starch Recipes,” 1934, Clinton Corn Processing Company (right).

“Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sweet Corn,” Purity Supreme, Inc.

These are just a few of many recipe pamphlets in our collections promoting corn and corn products. Take a look at the finding aid here to see more! (MsC1018)

"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 LOVE these photos of a whole run of corn dolls (Shambaugh Family Papers, RG99.0152)

Henry Agard Wallace Papers

Henry A. Wallace with Ears of Corn at Clyde Herring's Garage, Des Moines, Iowa (1920s)

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)

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)

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)

Homecoming Corn Monuments, Frederick W. Kent Photograph Collection, RG30.0001.001

1925

1932

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.

Check out more by visiting us in person or online at the Iowa Digital Library, InfoHawk+ and ArchiveSpace. Happy rest of your summer!

-Anne M, Olson Graduate Research Assistant

[thefoxstone]

Lughnasadh/Lammas corn dolly. (2025)

[parafrazerofhistory]

Old Harvest Customs in Scotland

“According to a briefer account of the Aberdeenshire custom, ‘the last sheaf cut, or “maiden,” is carried home in merry procession by the harvesters. It is then presented to the mistress of the house, who dresses it up to be preserved till the first mare foals. The maiden is then taken down and presented to the mare as its first food. The neglect of this would have untoward effects upon the foal, and disastrous consequences upon farm operations generally for the season.’ In Fifeshire the last handful of corn [i.e., wheat], known as the Maiden, is cut by a young girl and made into the rude figure of a doll, tied with ribbons, by which it is hung on the wall of the farm-kitchen till the next spring. The custom of cutting the Maiden at harvest was also observed in Inverness-shire and Sutherlandshire.”

—J. G. Frazer, Spirits of the Corn & of the Wild, part 1 (The Golden Bough, vol. VII, 1912, p. 162)

Historical example of a European corn dolly in the Horniman Museum, ph. by scholar Ethan Doyle White.

(Source: Ethan Doyle White, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

[ofsmokeandsoil]

Mabon Corn Poppets are here, infused with the spirit of the autumn equinox. Dyed a warm and earthy tan hue, this poppet is perfect for celebrating the magical energies of the Mabon season.

This corn poppet features a delicately woven berry twig belt, symbolizing abundance and the bountiful harvest that Mabon ushers in. Adorning its side, you'll find a dark red faux maple leaf, an emblem of transformation and the vibrant colors that paint the autumnal landscape. Adding a whimsical touch, a miniature mushroom peeks out from the chest, evoking the spirit of forest and woodland realms.

#mabon #autumn #autumnaesthetic #corndoll #cornhuskdoll #poppet #witch #witchcraft #tradwitch #autumnequinox #mushrooms #witchesofinstagram #witchesofig #darkaesthetic #darkcottagecore #fallleaves #hedgewitchcraft #pagan #folkmagic

[morimox]

"'Tis but a thing of straw' They say,

Yet even straw can sturdy be

Plaited into doll like me.

And in the days of long ago

To help the seeds once more grow

I was an offering to the gods.

A very simple way indeed

Of asking them to intercede

That barn and granary o'erflow

At harvest time, with fruit and corn

To fill again Amalthea's horn."

— Minnie Lambeth (1957)

  

A little corn dolly for "farm" :3 I remember making these as a kid! But that's lemongrass from my garden as a prop, because I hella failed at growing corn, lol. I wanna git gud, though, because I would love to make my own homegrown dollies! I might just try to fashion my lemongrass into one~

[neilmach]

The mysterious magic of the corn doll

The mysterious magic of the corn doll

Corn dolls or sometimes “corn mothers” are miraculous forms of straw fashioned from the last sheaf of cereals after a summer harvest. Therefore, these straw dolls are a noteworthy & supernatural part of the harvest customs of pastoral Europe. Some pagan cultures called these mothers “vetulas” (the Latin for “Old Woman” is vetula) though, in the 7th century, Saint Eligius (born 588) instructed…

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