Lillian Carefoot Collection
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Lillian Carefoot Collection
The Lillian Carefoot Collection of cookbooks (435) and booklet/pamphlets (1487) is found in Special Collections, VIU Library, Nanaimo Campus. The digitized images represent a fraction of the collection, which has been catalogued and is available for research.
Lillian Carefoot has had a long association with school libraries as a teacher-librarian, district coordinator of school library programs, and editor of School Libraries in Canada, retiring as Principal of Rock City Elementary School, SD 68, in 2012. The bulk of the collection was acquired in Saskatchewan and travelled to Nanaimo when Lillian arrived in 1990; it was donated in 2014.
As a teenager, Lillian had an interest in cooking and would copy recipes. Her family, first-generation Canadians (Ukrainian), encouraged this curiosity of culinary traditions. If something new, food-wise, appeared on the grocery store shelves, they-would try it. Media advertising made them aware of the latest food trend, as did marketing in the form of cookbooks and booklets or pamphlets, some which came with the newest innovation (e.g., Canadian Westinghouse Co, Wear-Ever Aluminum) or could be acquired on request (e.g., Pillsbury, Magic Baking Powder). Her interest in antiques led to the purchase of some of the older booklet/pamphlets found in the collection.
With immigrant parents, Lillian was interested in ‘real’ Canadian food so sought out local cookbooks, recipes compiled by women’s hospital auxiliary, church, and other community groups. This led to exploring ethnic cookery. As Lillian noted, the more she acquired, the greater her interest became as she could then compare design, artwork, styling, and trends through time--these cookery publications reflected the societal values of the time (see: https://www.marthastewart.com/368631/collecting-vintage-baking-pamphlets
The Lillian Carefoot Collection of cookbooks (435) and booklet/pamphlets (1487) is found in Special Collections, VIU Library, Nanaimo Campus. The digitized images represent a fraction of the collection, which has been catalogued and is available for research.
Lillian Carefoot has had a long association with school libraries as a teacher-librarian, district coordinator of school library programs, and editor of School Libraries in Canada, retiring as Principal of Rock City Elementary School, SD 68, in 2012. The bulk of the collection was acquired in Saskatchewan and travelled to Nanaimo when Lillian arrived in 1990; it was donated in 2014.
As a teenager, Lillian had an interest in cooking and would copy recipes. Her family, first-generation Canadians (Ukrainian), encouraged this curiosity of culinary traditions. If something new, food-wise, appeared on the grocery store shelves, they-would try it. Media advertising made them aware of the latest food trend, as did marketing in the form of cookbooks and booklets or pamphlets, some which came with the newest innovation (e.g., Canadian Westinghouse Co, Wear-Ever Aluminum) or could be acquired on request (e.g., Pillsbury, Magic Baking Powder). Her interest in antiques led to the purchase of some of the older booklet/pamphlets found in the collection.
With immigrant parents, Lillian was interested in ‘real’ Canadian food so sought out local cookbooks, recipes compiled by women’s hospital auxiliary, church, and other community groups. This led to exploring ethnic cookery. As Lillian noted, the more she acquired, the greater her interest became as she could then compare design, artwork, styling, and trends through time--these cookery publications reflected the societal values of the time (see: https://www.marthastewart.com/368631/collecting-vintage-baking-pamphlets