The Bureau of Home Economics, later known as the Bureau of Human Nutrition and Home Economics, was a division of the

US Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...

that supported homemaker activities in the early 20th century. The bureau developed recipes, collected information from the burgeoning scientific practice of nutrition, published sewing patterns for homemade clothing, produced radio content like the Aunt Sammy personality, wrote articles for newspapers and magazines, and generally contributed to the adoption of scientific practices in routine household activities. Operating between 1923 and 1962, the bureau supported homemakers through the Great Depression and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

History and leadership

The bureau has its roots in the Office of Home Economics at the USDA. Established in 1915, the office centralized USDA existing efforts around cooking and nutrition and other

home economics Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences, is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and food preparation, as well as texti ...

topics, and was tasked with disseminating "practical applications of research knowledge" from the USDA.

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

had redirected many essential foods to the war front, so the government guided homemakers on shopping for and cooking alternative foods. Following the war, the office was promoted to a bureau of seven employees in 1923 and placed under the leadership of Louise Stanley, PhD, a professor of home economics with degrees from Peabody College,

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, and

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

. The bureau was the largest employer of women scientists in the country. Its efforts were focused in three areas which formed its major departments: Clothing and Textiles, Economics of the Home, and Food and Nutrition. During

, it was renamed the Bureau of Human Nutrition and Home Economics.

Economics of the Home

Among the projects in the Economics of the Home department, modern kitchen design and efficiency figured prominently. Since the early 1920s, the USDA studied how homemakers moved through their days and spent their time by equipping women with

pedometer A pedometer, or step-counter, is a device, usually portable and electronic or electromechanical, that counts each step a person takes by detecting the motion of the person's hands or hips. Because the distance of each person's step varies, a ...

s and having them keep time-use diaries. The Bureau continued the studies, examining "various household tasks including cooking, washing, and child care". These studies produced publications like ''Convenient Kitchens'', a detailed bulletin with specifics about kitchen layout, work surfaces, equipment and food storage, ventilation, and lighting.

Food and nutrition

With its roots reaching back to home-front conservation during World War I, the bureau was positioned to tackle the strains of the Great Depression early in its history. Publications targeted families struggling to shop and cook with little or no money. ''Adequate Diets for People of Limited Income'', ''Diets at Four Levels of Nutritive Content'', ''Diets to Fit the Family Income'' and similar bulletins provided strategies and recipes to sustain a family on a short budget using cheaper ingredients that were as nutritious as more expensive ones. The bureau tracked and disseminated information from the developing science of nutrition. Scientists were discovering and classifying nutrients like Vitamins A, B and C, and the bureau created recipes to diversify diets. The bureau's charismatic vehicle for this knowledge was Aunt Sammy. A domestic, homemaking counterpart to

Uncle Sam Uncle Sam (which has the same initials as ''United States'') is a common national personification of the federal government of the United States or the country in general. Since the early 19th century, Uncle Sam has been a popular symbol of ...

, Aunt Sammy was the front face of many of the bureau's extension efforts. Aunt Sammy hosted ''Housekeepers' Chat'', a program sent to local radio stations nationwide to be read by local women. These recipes were later collected into ''Radio Recipes'' in order "to meet the enormous demand for printed copies of the most popular recipes broadcast from October, 1926, to June, 1927."

References

{{authority control United States Department of Agriculture agencies 1923 establishments in the United States 1962 disestablishments in the United States Home economics