" “Bride’s Cookbook,” Kitchen Catastrophe, Collier’s Cover" Lot no. 2892
By Elmer Pirson (1888 - 1935)
1928 (Estimated)
29.75" x 24.00"
Oil on Canvas
Signed Lower Right
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Original cover for Collier’s, published March 17, 1928.
This Collier’s cover humorously captures the early challenges of married life, particularly those found in the kitchen. It features a distraught newlywed in the midst of a culinary disaster.
A young woman perches on a stool, intently reading her “Bride’s Cookbook.” The source of her most recent distress lies at her feet, where a small dog eagerly investigates a fallen tray of burned dinner rolls, pawing at one of the charred pieces. A single, glistening tear rolls down her cheek as she traces a recipe in the book with her finger, seemingly trying to figure out what went wrong.
Her vibrant red dress and crisp white apron initially draw the eye, but closer inspection reveals delightful details that enrich the narrative. The gleaming diamonds on her engagement and new wedding ring are prominently displayed on the hand she holds to her face in despair. On the same hand, a bandaged thumb subtly underscores her inexperience, painting her as a complete kitchen hazard. It’s a charming and witty portrayal of the bumps and laughs that so often come with early married life.
Explore related art collections: $5,000 - $20,000 / Dogs & Cats / Newly Researched / Magazine Covers / Wedding/Marriage / Women as Subjects / Animals / Humor / Food / Work / Labor
See all original artwork by Elmer Pirson
ABOUT THE ARTIST
An American Illustrator and painter, Elmer William Pirson was born in 1888 in New York.
Artistically, he is known to have studied under George Bridgman and James Earle Fraser of the Art Students League in New York City.
He was a member of the Guild of Freelance Artists.
The artist had a number of illustrations in Judge Magazine, including a cover. Pirson maintained a studio in Rochester and Buffalo, New York, while living in Rochester, New York.
He was killed while walking by the side of a road by a hit-and-run driver, August 23,1935.
Submitted by Edward P. Bentley, Art researcher and collector, Grenville, Michigan
Sources: Rochester Public Library,
Census Records and the artists Obituary.
Also Peter Hastings Falk, Editor, Who Was Who In American Art.