Dr. X’s vintage photos has one up that is dumfounding on many levels. Of great interest (at least to me) is the photo itself, which illustrates the mail-order country ham business of Mrs. Mark Bristol, whose customers (circa 1937) included the Duke of Windsor. The post describes how her hams were prepared:
It takes Mrs. Bristol four days to prepare a ham according to her specially formulate recipe. It is first soaked and simmered for days and then while baking, it is sprinkled with cloves, pineapple and basted with sherry, brandy or applejack. The hams are originally obtained from a special farm in Virginia where they have been smoked in the real Dixie manner
The first notable thing is the picture itself– with Mrs. Bristol watching while “her assistant” is doing the work. From the cooking description, I’m guessing that describes how those famous hams were prepared.
The whole post is worth reading.
This description of Mrs. Bristol caught my attention:
She is of the “Hebe” type of beauty, her blonde hair and exquisite coloring, her figure, style and grace, modulated, sweet voice, and above all, her loyalty and womanliness, all combine to maker her a woman generally beloved as admired.
All that, and she has to make her own hams?
I don’t think she made them. Mamie was from Virginia. It was probably her recipe.
Ben, I was startled by the description, too. Apparently, they’re not referring to what you and I thought, but rather the Greek goddess of youth and Spring.
1937 tp 2010!
How notable that things have not really changed that much.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://cdn.wn.com/ph/img/6f/8f/7aff23bb4c49de21aef8ecdca827-grande.jpg&imgrefurl=http://wn.com/smithfield&usg=__1LMgHsF77JBWzmU1DusvJQylK40=&h=351&w=468&sz=30&hl=en&start=70&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=cYHRr3cv5ukw6M:&tbnh=96&tbnw=128&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsmithfield%2Bham%2Bprocessing%2Bplant%26start%3D60%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN%26ndsp%3D20%26tbs%3Disch:1
WS
I pieced together a bit more background information on Mrs. Bristol. She came from a prominent Mobile, AL family. She was a popular figure in Atlanta, D.C. and New York high society. Her husband served in a diplomatic capacity in England at some point during his career.
Less certain on the following information:
The first husband, Capt William Bailey Thomas, was the son of a wealthy, influential judge. After serving in the military in the 1880s he was discharged, but re-enlisted to serve during the Spanish-American War. He may have been discharged from the Army in 1900 for unspecified physical disability that rendered him unfit to perform the duties of his rank. In 1902, while on a trip to New York with his wife and an attorney friend, he was reported missing.