What is the value of this product?

As we know eating and food are significant in the study of a culture as it’s something part of our daily life as well as an essential part of social gatherings. Today the monetary value of this cookbook is $10, however, it is not clear what the value of this book would be during the mid 19th century. One thing that is clear is that these cookbooklets served as a great tool for women to find new ways of preparing food. Today these cookbooklets serve as a primary source of social, political, cultural and economic history of the 19th century. This cookbooklet is valuable to historians as it serves as a primary source of information which can link the researcher to other materials.

How is it useful for us?

Look at how much information you have extracted from this cookbooklet about the 19th century. The new ingredients being introduced such as whole wheat as a result of the Diet Reform introduced to combat poor diets in 1829. The changing technology revolutionalized cooking and commercialization and industries. For example, the introduction of the steam engine in the 19th century served as a crucial tool of industrial capitalism. It also provides us with a glimpse into the society of the 19th century in Toronto, this cookbook is one of the sources we can research to look into the changes in women and the roles within society as well as examining changes in social class.

From the “Honey Grahams Delicious Recipes” cookbooklet we can conclude that there was an increase in the middle-class society during this era due to the rapid economic growth. In regards to gender roles, the 19th century saw an emerging child-centered society, during this time the Canadian government enforced many laws and added recreational programs to improve child and family life. Women took on the role of a housewife primarily responsible for nurturing children and completing household tasks, the portrayal of this role is seen on the cookbooklet as the woman resembles a typical housewife. Therefore, this piece of paper enfolds valuable information as it expresses a fragment of Canadian social history valuable to us Canadians to further learn about social, economic and gender history.