Gender

While reading the first page of the cook booklet, I thought to my self "Gender". Martha Logan, who had written a letter and signed the inside of the first page of the cookbook was used as a advertisement image for Swift and Co. Of course it was a coincidence that the booklet was published in the 1950's, or maybe it was just because of the strict gender roles in the 50's. Post WWII and after the havoc of the Great Depression, women were viewed and expected to be house wives and mothers. Going back to the artefact, knowing this was the case in regard to the role of women, by using Martha Logan, a home economist as the image for the company, much like Betty Crocker, they were targeting women for these cookbooks because of the role they played in that time frame as mothers and housewives. Betty Crocker is a brand  character used in advertisments for food and recipes. Although women proved that they were able to do the job of a man by taking over their jobs while they were away at war, this was at no help for them as they were still under the gender role as being a stay at home mother. This was soon to change in the years coming because from the early 1960s to 1990s, large numbers of
women in the baby-boom generation began entering the labor force which began to change the gender role for women.

Target Market

Looking at the contents of the booklet gives one a distinct feeling that the target of this cookbook was directed toward families. There is a section titled "Family Stand-Bys" that included delicious homestyle recipes for families to enjoy. Along with that, there is a "Home Storage tips" page for tips on storing Proten Beef at home. With the various types of cook booklets during this time frame, this peice of culinary ephemera was targeted at families and a home setting. Also, these recipes were targeted at individuals that had the time to stay at home and make the meals. Unlike various cookbooks that advertise quick and easy "minute meals" for those that may be running short on time, perhaps those of a working house hold, these meals take time and preparation with any method being used to cook the Proten Beef.