"The Long and Short of It" 1934

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1934

[22] pp.

The American Distilling Company

6 3/4" x 5"

w/ Drawings by Russell Patterson

In 1934, the American … Read more 1934

[22] pp.

The American Distilling Company

6 3/4" x 5"

w/ Drawings by Russell Patterson

In 1934, the American Distilling Company published this recipe booklet to promote their Old Colony Gin, 3 Monks Rye and Meadwood Bourbon products. They hired Russell Patterson to illustrate it. Patterson was an influential artist in the 1920s–1940s, creating magazine covers and cartoons with a keen eye toward style and fashion. His artwork had an outsized cultural influence on the idealized representation of women. We’re here to enjoy his artwork, but this exhibit also asks what—in addition to some liquor—is being sold here?

Right off the bat, the cover features a woman holding a cocktail. Unlike the other women depicted in the booklet, this one seems less elegant, maybe even a touch demimondaine. But still, she’s got her own cocktail! Prohibition had only recently ended, and—finally, if grudgingly in some circles—women were directly welcomed into American cocktail culture. See less