Engraved by John Held Jr

I feel that most who know the name John Held Jr. will think of his illustrations of flappers on the cover of the Life magazine, the stick-skinny girls with the knobby knees and droopy stockings, possibly lounging about, possibly necking or dancing with round-headed guys sporting gigantic trousers. (See the slide show below.) Also maybe you, like me, enjoyed those Time-Life This Fabulous Century books at the library that cover the first six decades of the 20th century (and have a different groovy fabric on the cover of each), and have noticed that the volume on the twenties is chock full of John Held Jr.



(I do have a major nostalgia problem and am wistful for eras I have never seen, the twenties being one of them.)

Anyway, where I first got to know John Held Jr was not as Illustrator of the Jazz Age, but as the guy who did those funny old-timey engravings during the infancy of the New Yorker magazine. Perhaps strangely, from an early age I loved poring over collected New Yorker cartoons, preferring especially a volume called The New Yorker Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Album 1925-1950, which I pretty much have memorized. (When Steve from the used section of the Harvard Book Store gave me a great quality hardcover version for my birthday, I was really really touched. Thank you Steve. That was an amazing, insightful gift.) I particularly liked John Held Jr’s odd choices of subject matter in his engravings, and I am tickled by the engraved captions he added to all. Some of these strike me as some of the best sign-offs ever.

Years later, I now have access to the complete collected cartoons of the New Yorker (isn’t being an adult amazing? And... technology?) So I ran a search on John Held Jr., and found he published many engravings (or maybe some are drawings that look like engravings) in that magazine between 1925 and 1932. Then either my computer froze up or he didn’t publish any more. I find myself wondering now about John Held Jr’s own interest in nostalgia. According to a 1966 Playboy article about Held, nostalgia was big in the 20s. Most of his engraved depictions seem to be olde tymey made-up scenes from the previous century, maybe around the time of Held’s birth (he lived from January 10, 1889 to March 2, 1958). I’m thinking the 1880s didn’t seem so long ago to him, maybe he could still find little pockets of old-fashionedness even in the blazing New York of the 20s. It was only 40-odd years before after all. I do my own math like that sometimes, thinking that the 20s were only 50-odd years before I was born, and if I look hard enough at old drawings and peep into enough old books and listen to enough 78s, perhaps I can grasp a tiny bit of what it was like.

I think these clever engravings should be considered as important a part of Held’s ouevre as the flapper/sheikh stuff. According to that Playboy article, Held’s very first art sale was an engraving, and his father was an engraver. I’m sure there’s a whole dissertation there about modes of expressing contemporaneous interest in the fairly recent past.

Here's a list! Some of my favorite captions from the engravings are transcribed below. You'll have to imagine the images that go with because I don't dare post screenshots. The date given is the New Yorker publication date. Held mostly engraved in capital letters so I use caps where he does.

A CHILD OF THE CIRCUS
ENGRAVED WITH PATHOS BY JOHN HELD JR.
11/7/25

The STREET SWEEPER'S CHRISTMAS
A LOVELY ENGRAVING BY JOHN HELD JR
12/12/25

ROLLING YE LOG AT YE COFFEE HOUSE CLUB
ENGRAVED IN GOOD FUN BY JOHN HELD JR
2/13/26

WHISKER INSPECTION AT THE CENTURY CLUB
INDEED A QUAINT OLD ENGRAVING BY JOHN HELD JR
(2/27/26)

THE CLOWN WITH A BROKEN HEART
ENGRAVED BY JOHN HELD JR AND NICELY TOO
4/17/26

DANCING ON NOTHING
ENGRAVED WITH A LAUGH AND A SOB BY JOHN HELD JR
5/1/26

A POLICEMANS BEST FRIEND IS HIS HORSE
ENGRAVED BY JOHN HELD JR WHO IS VERY FOND OF ANIMALS
10/2/26

The DEAR DEAD DAYS
WHEN THE WAITERS AT BILLIES SANG "MY ROSARY"
ENG. BY JOHN HELD JR WITH A LUMP IN HIS THROAT
10/23/26

The DEAR DEAD DAYS
WHEN A GIRL DRANK BEER AND LIKED IT
ENG BY JOHN HELD JR WITH THE LAUGH ON THE OTHER SIDE OF HIS FACE
10/30/26

The CURSE OF THE OPERA HOUSE
"MAY ALL YOUR CHILDREN BE ACROBATS"
ENGRAVED BY JOHN HELD JR
AND SUCH AN ENGRAVING OH MY
11/6/26

THE MAN WHO SOUNDED AN R in the HARVARD CLUB
A RIGHT TONEY ENGRAVING BY JOHN HELD JR
2/19/27
(this one shows some angry fellows shooting another guy)

A SONG FROM THE DEAR DIM PAST
"YES, WE HAVE NO BANANAS
WE HAVE NO BANANAS TODAY."
ENG. BY JOHN HELD JR AND HOW CAN YOU STOP HIM
5/12/28

SHE'S ONLY A LASSIE WHO VENTURED
ON LIFE'S STORMY PATH ILL-ADVISED
ENG. BY JOHN HELD JR WITH A HEART FULL OF PITY
7/28/28

BUT THAT DIRTY LITTLE COWARD,
THAT SHOT MR. HOWARD,
HAS LAID POOR JESSE IN HIS GRAVE
AMERICAN FOLKSONG ENG. BY JOHN HELD JR. WITH A HI AND A HO
9/29/28

TINY GARMENTS
ENGRAVED BY THAT SENIMENTAL OLD CODGER, JOHN HELD JR (sic)
11/10/28

MID CAMP FIRES GLEAMING
MID SHOT AND SHELL
I WILL BE DREAMING OF MY OWN BLUEBELL
A GRAND OLD ENGRAVING BY A GRAND OLD ENGRAVER J. HELD JR
12/8/28

A DAINTY NECESSITY IN MI-LADY'S LINGERIE
The CORSET COVER
ENGRAVED BY JOHN HELD JR WITH A TOSS OF THE HEAD
12/28/29

VIRTUE'S DEFENCE THE HAT PIN
ENG. BY JOHN HELD JR. AS HE CHOKES BACK HIS TRUE FEELINGS
2/8/30

The SECRET POCKET IN THE PETTISKIRT
OH MEMORY SO CRUEL, SO BITTER
ENG. BY JOHN HELD JR WHO NEVER TOOK A LESSON IN HIS LIFE
2/22/30

DREAM GIRLS of a DIM DECADE
SEVEN SUTHERLAND SISTERS
ENG. BY JOHN HELD JR SINGER OF OLD SONGS
3/15/30

WHEN THE THEATRE WAS FRAUGHT with ROMANCE
THE STARTLING INNOVATION OF THE MAGIC-LANTERN SLIDE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE SERPENTINE DANCE
ENGRAVED BY JOHN HELD JR WHO IS GAME TO THE CORE
11/8/30

WHEN THE THEATRE WAS FRAUGHT with ROMANCE
The Thought is born of the FORM DIVINE
ENGRAVED BY JOHN HELD JR ADELVING INTO YESTERYEAR
11/29/30

WHEN THE THEATRE WAS FRAUGHT WITH ROMANCE
THE SOUBRETTE SINGS A RACY SONG TO THE MAN IN THE BOX
ENG BY JOHN HELD JR WHO DEAR TO HIS HEART ARE THE SCENES OF HIS CHILDHOOD
1/10/31

WHEN THE THEATRE WAS FRAUGHT with ROMANCE
THE CHERRY SISTERS
ENGRAVED BY JOHN HELD JR Who Is a SLY ELF
2/7/31

WHEN THE THEATRE WAS FRAUGHT WITH ROMANCE
MRS. LESLIE CARTER IN "THE HEART OF MARYLAND"
ENGRAVED BY JOHN HELD JR WHO DOESN'T REMEMBER VERY WELL.
5/9/31

WHEN FASHION WAS FRAUGHT WITH ROMANCE
The HORRIBLE SKIRT
ENG. BY JOHN HELD JR A SCAMP IF THERE EVER WAS ONE
8/15/31

The ZENITH OF REFINED ELEGANCE
THE MOUSTACHE CUP
A JOHN HELD JR. ENGRAVING, ENGRAVED BY JOHN HELD JR UNDER The PERSONAL SUPERVISION of JOHN HELD JR
9/12/31

WHEN THE THEATRE WAS FRAUGHT WITH ROMANCE
BEN-HUR AND THE WHITE HORSES ALWAYS WIN
ENGRAVED BY JOHN HELD JR WHO SOMETIMES WONDERS WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT
9/26/31

WOOD-CUT MEMOIRS OF LITTLE OLDE NEW YORK
FINE FEATHERS MAKE FINE BIRDS IN the WALDORF ASTORIA PEACOCK ALLEY
ENGRAVED BY JOHN HELD JR WHO BOWS HIS HEAD TO NO MASTER
10/17/31

The RED HOT PAST
THE SOUVENIR GARTER WITH THE WITTY MOTTO
ENGRAVED BY JOHN HELD JR WHO IS ALWAYS UP TO MISCHIEF
4/23/32
(the garter says "I LOVE MY WIFE BUT OH YOU KID")

The RED HOT PAST
SOUVENIRS FROM GAY PAREE
ENGRAVED BY JOHN HELD JR WHO A LITTLE OF GOES A LONG WAYS
6/4/32

The RED HOT PAST
A DAINTY REQUISITE OF MILADY'S TERLET--THE RAT
ENGRAVED BY JOHN HELD JR. THE "IT" MAN OF WOODCUTS
9/17/32
(this shows a lady at her toilet--that is sitting in front of mirror--holding the type of "rat" that makes hair look more bouffant)

Ricotta to the Rescue!

Sometimes we have too much milk in the house. When that happens, one solution is to make ice cream. Soon I'm going to try yogurt. I've also made fresh mozzarella. But this time, I decided to make ricotta cheese. A big batch of ricotta would help me use up a whole gallon of milk. (Whole milk, too.) Here's all you need for the project--Ricki's Cheesemaking Kit.

This kit is pretty simple--comes with muslin (better than cheesecloth because it's a finer weave), rennet, citric acid, cheese salt, a thermometer and an instruction book. Sure you could probably find all those things separately for less money, but would you? I've had this cute kit for at least a couple of years and it still works fine. (I keep the rennet in the freezer.)

So to make ricotta, you heat a gallon of milk up to 195˚F while stirring it pretty much constantly. Also, you add citric acid. This serves to break up the protein from the liquid (which becomes whey). The protein gets strained out as cheese, and you have a whole mess of whey left over. Apparently you can get the same effect from lemon juice--see this Smitten Kitchen post for a description (and pretty pictures). I also used Smitten Kitchen's idea of adding some heavy cream for texture. I had half a pint kicking around. From... making ice cream.

Heating a gallon of milk slowly so it doesn't burn takes forever. Or put another way, at least half an episode of Sherlock. Then you turn off the heat and let it sit, then ladle the curds into the cheesecloth to strain.

Here is my straining system. It's hard to see, but I rigged up a figure-eight of two rubber bands to hold the handle and end of the strainer firm so it wouldn't slide back down into the bowl. I left it overnight to strain. (Refrigerated, of course.)


Here's how it looked inside the cheesecloth. It's a lot more compact and drier than commercial ricotta. It's more cheese-like. However it crumbles up fine and tastes pretty delicious. Like the essence of milk and cream, distilled and cheesified.

The first thing I made with my homemade ricotta was a batch of canneloni, our family's meaty-cheesy-tomatoey alternative to lasagna. Delicious. But I still had half the ricotta left. For this I wanted to try some sweet application. Crepes maybe? Then I saw an episode of No Reservations where Anthony Bourdain travels to Sicily. Guess what they invented there that uses sweetened ricotta?

Cannoli

I have never seen The Godfather so don't worry about mob-ilicious cannoli quotes. All I want is to use this lovely ricotta before it goes bad. Since it was kind of dry, I smashed it all up and moistened with a bit of milk. Then I sprinkled on white sugar and added a glug of vanilla. Stirred it all together and tasted--great! I stuffed it into one of my super-handy disposable piping bags and stashed it in the fridge. I bought 6 cannoli shells at the super market. I dug out some OLD cherries from the back of the fridge. Now I can pipe my own cannoli any time, man.

Cherries so old the label fell off. Piping bag full of sweetened ricotta.
Shells at the ready!

Piping action shot!

Piped not quite full. (I want the cheese to last for all 6 shells...)

I don't have pistachio nuts so I settled for chopped walnuts. I am not a purist. Cherry at either end.

Bonus: The picky eater likes these! I pipe her one every day for dessert. And then I eat one myself. TASTY.

Next time we have too much milk I'm thinking corn chowder.

Andy Serkis sets off a train of thought

I just learned on Friday (by listening to NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, which is pretty much how I learn everything these days) that Andy Serkis, of Gollum fame, played Ian Dury in a movie called Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll. I also learned that Ian Dury had polio and the right side of his body was strong and energetic while the left side couldn't do much, so he would propel himself about the stage leading from the right. This sounds like a good role for Andy Serkis as he is so good at conveying acting through sheer physicality. Like being all the movements for Gollum through motion capture technology, while never actually appearing on film.



Then later in the morning iTunes randomly picked Perro Loco by Forro in the Dark, which is pretty much my Song of the Week right now. It keeps getting stuck in my head. The song reminds me a little of Ian Dury now that I listen to it. It is so peppy and saxophony and makes me want to pogo.



It also makes me think of the Young Ones and Alexei Sayle hopping about with that goofy look and his Dr. Martens. (Pull the playhead up to about 1:08 for the crazy dance.)



One more thought about the Young Ones, did you know that Vyvyan is married to Jennifer Saunders? Well actually Vyvyan is called Adrian Edmondson, he's the one who's married to Jennifer Saunders. I like to think of Vyvyan and Edina at home together. Actually I more like to think how Patsy or Rik might be appalled by their relationship.

Recipe or riff? Cold quinoa salad

Lately I just focus on a single ingredient, and let the rest of a dish come together any which way. For example, quinoa salad. I cooked up a bunch of quinoa in some water leftover from steaming beets and sweet potatoes. It came out kind of pinkish! Then I doused it with lemon juice and olive oil while still warm, and let it cool for a day--just cuz. Later, I added chopped up bits of random refrigerated items:

• pieces of roasted red pepper in jar
• leftover bell pepper
• kalamata olives, chopped
• chopped up celery sticks, at least 2 weeks old (kept them in water)
  
• tablespoon of artichoke hearts, leftover

I also threw in random herbs from garden, harvested with headlamp at 9pm and chopped fine:

• chives
• winter savory
• rosemary
• thyme

Salt & pepper were added, of course.

Right before serving, I threw on a handful on raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds), as I'd been reading about their health benefits. Delicious!

But is that a recipe? It seems pretty off the cuff, pretty random. It's a riff. If I had different things in the fridge--cucumbers or parsley or capers for example--I would have made a different salad. I like that. Being able to riff takes the pressure off. I don't need to be super-prepared or make big lists. I'm trying to do this with as much of my food-prep as possible! (I guess I always have, but this one was a revelation because I got rid of five containers that had been cluttering up the fridge with little bits of leftover stuff. FIVE!)

By the way, here are some other cold salads we've enjoyed lately:

Farmer's market green salad, with added kalamata olives & crumbled feta. I did not make this one because I dislike washing lettuce.

Steamed beets with sliced caper berries, lots of feta and cucumber slices

What riffs have you been working lately? What about cold salads? Do you put feta on everything too?

Bourdain contest fail

The famous Kouign Amann

Last year Anthony Bourdain, who I felt very very strongly about (in the positive) at the time, held a writing contest. The theme was something like "How to Cook Well." I toyed with the idea of entering, but with a new baby in the house and low energy for anything but family, I never got around to it. I did jot down some notes during one late-night feeding though. Here they are.

My mise en place is set in small glass dishes. Tiny tomatoes from the farmer's market, rinsed. Parsley that could not be more local--I can see its terroir from the door. Organic chicken from some happy free-range farm. Lemon reamed on a vintage glass juicer. French feta, crumbled. The pasta is already cooked, cooled and coated with good olive oil. It's time to cook.

What I'm making is orzo and chicken salad with lemon dressing. The chicken: tender and be-garlicked. The dressing: cool kisses of lemon. When it's plated and done, I set it before the clients and watch. The guy with the beard likes it--he digs in. The one who is four, not so much. In fact, she hates it on sight. But it doesn't matter, I'm not hurt. I sit down to eat with them because when I cook for this family, I'm the best. I'm in the zone. They eat my "overcaramelized" (some might say "burned") Kouign Amann. They groan in appreciation at the crockpot chili (secret ingredient: bacon grease). They accept my incessant Vinho Verde or $4.99 Beaujolais pairings. (OK, only the adults get wine.) In turn, I try to remember their tastes and foibles. Eggplant is off the menu. Sectioned plates with discrete, not-touching foods are a must for madamoiselle. No matter how carefully I've seasoned something according to the recipe or my imaginings, I should always be prepared for clients to slather on tamari or hot sauce or ketchup. I stick to my standards and roll with it at the same time. That's cooking.