Overview
Recipes, manuscript drafts, notes, etc., of Narcisse Chamberlain, cookbook author and editor.
Dates
- Creation: 1935-1988
Language of Materials
Materials in English.
Access Restrictions:
Access. Unrestricted.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright. Copyright in the papers created by Narcisse Chamberlain is held by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Copyright in other papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns.
Copying. Papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures.
Extent
2.51 linear feet (3 file boxes, 3 card file boxes)These papers, including manuscript drafts, recipes, notes, etc., document Narcisse Chamberlain's career as a cookbook author both independently and with her parents, Samuel and Narcissa G. Chamberlain. Recipes in the collection include those that were part of the Chamberlain family's household collection, as well as those collected for use in the writing of Clémentine in the Kitchen, Bouquet de France, and The Omelette Book. Also included are notes taken by Narcissa G. Chamberlain at the Cordon Bleu, and notes taken by an unidentified individual at cooking courses conducted by Dione Lucas. Materials arrived at the library in notebooks and small boxes. Folder titles were created by the archivist based on the contents of the folders and notes about the collection provided by Narcisse Chamberlain. Files are arranged alphabetically.
BIOGRAPHY
The daughter of cookbook writers Samuel Vance and Narcissa (Gellatly) Chamberlain, Narcisse Chamberlain was born on June 17, 1924, in Paris, France. The family moved to Marblehead, Massachusetts, in 1939. Chamberlain received a B.A. from Bennington College in 1946. She was a researcher for Time (1950-1952); a researcher and reporter for Newsweek in Paris, France (1952-1953); an assistant editor for Gourmet (1954-1956); assistant editor with Hasting House Publishers (1956-1960); editor (1960-1966) and vice-president (1966-1968) for the M. Barrows & Co., Inc.; and in 1968, was appointed senior editor specializing in cookbooks at William Morrow and Co.
Chamberlain co-authored The Chamberlain Calendar of French Cooking (annually, 1955-1963), The Chamberlain Calendar of American Cooking (annually, 1956-1959), The Flavor of France (two volumes, 1959, 1964), The Chamberlain Calendar of Italian Cooking (annually, 1960-1963), The Chamberlain Sampler of American Cooking (1960), The Chamberlain Calendar of French Menus (annually, 1964-1965), The Flavor of Italy (1965), and French Menus for Parties (1968). She was also a contributor to the 1988 and 2001 editions of Clémentine in the Kitchen, originally authored by her father.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Accession number: 88-M90
The papers of Narcisse Chamberlain were given to the Schlesinger Library by Narcisse Chamberlain in 1988.
SEPARATION RECORD
Donor: Narcisse Chamberlain
Accession number: 88-M90
Processed by: Johanna Carll
The following item has been removed from the collection and cataloged separately.
- Handwritten cookbook, "Extrait Tiré du Cuisinier Moderne Le cuisinier moderne, qui apprend à donner toutes sortes de repas, en gras et en maigre, d’une manière plus délicate que ce qui en a été écrit jusqu’à présent Par le Sieur Vincent la Chapelle Chef de Cuisine de Son Altesse Serenissime, Monseigneur Le Prince d'Orange et de Nassau, &c."
Processing Information
Processed: May 2007
By: Johanna Carll
Genre / Form
Topical
- Title
- Chamberlain, Narcisse. Papers of Narcisse Chamberlain, ca.1935-1988: A Finding Aid
- Author
- Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America
- Language of description
- eng
- EAD ID
- sch00380
Repository Details
Part of the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute Repository
The preeminent research library on the history of women in the United States, the Schlesinger Library documents women's lives from the past and present for the future. In addition to its traditional strengths in the history of feminisms, women’s health, and women’s activism, the Schlesinger collections document the intersectional workings of race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class in American history.