Lot 3 Antique 1920s Jell-O Recipe Cards Cucumber Salad Marion Powers LeRoy NY For Sale

🍮 Item Description

Up for sale is a lot of 3 antique Jell-O advertising recipe cards from the 1920s. Jell-O tucked these little package inserts into its boxes, a different one each month. One card has a charming full-color illustration titled “Cucumber Salad.” It shows a shimmering green molded salad set among Rococo porcelain figurines, a lace backdrop, and cinnamon sticks, and it appears signed Marion Powers, the illustrator of Jell-O’s 1920s inserts. The other two cards are printed with period recipes like Prune Whip, Glorified Rice, and Paradise Pudding. Every card has the “JELL-O RULES” instructions on the back. They’re a delightful slice of early American food advertising.

✍️ ARTIST’S SIGNATURE: Lower right corner of the illustration, printed in the plate. It appears to read “Marion Powers.”

Printing details:

• One back reads “© 1927, Postum Cereal Co., Inc. — 4893F — Ptd. in U.S.A.”
• Two backs read “The Jell-O Company, Inc., LeRoy, N.Y.”

Provenance: Estate find. These are original period printings, not reproductions.

Card Details

• Card 1 (front): “Cucumber Salad” color illustration, marked “(Recipe Inside)”
• Card 2: Jell-O Macedoine, Glorified Rice, Prune Whip
• Card 3: Chocolate Jell-O, Orange Delight, Paradise Pudding
• All backs: “Jell-O Rules” preparation tips
• Publisher: The Jell-O Company, Inc., LeRoy, N.Y., and Postum Cereal Co.
• Era: 1920s (one dated 1927)
• Size: About 2¾" x 2½" each
• Printing: Color lithograph front (Card 1), black text on cream card stock

🔍 Condition — Please Read Carefully

Please review all photos, because they are part of the description.

• Illustration: Colors are still pleasing, with light overall toning.
• Card stock: Even age toning on all cards. There is light soiling and a few small spots.
• Edges/corners: Light rubbing and softened corners. The Cucumber Salad card has a small crease or chip at the lower right corner.
• Text: Crisp and fully legible.
• Note: “(Recipe Inside)” suggests the Cucumber Salad card was originally part of a folding insert. These cards are now separate panels, so some panels may be missing.
• Other flaws: None noted beyond the above.

Overall these are honest, age-appropriate antique paper pieces in good displayable condition.

👤 About Jell-O & Marion Powers

Jell-O was trademarked in LeRoy, New York in 1897 by Pearle Wait. Orator Woodward bought the brand in 1899 and turned it into “America’s Most Famous Dessert” through heavy advertising, including free cookbooks starting in 1904. The company later became part of Postum Cereal Co., which grew into General Foods.

During the 1920s, Jell-O put a small illustrated insert in its packages, with a different theme each year and a different booklet each month. Marion Powers illustrated them. The LeRoy Historical Society and Jell-O Gallery still holds her original oil paintings, and General Foods reprinted her illustrations in 1927.

Contemporaries: Collectors of these cards may also enjoy period food advertising from Knox Gelatine, Royal Gelatin, Calumet Baking Powder, and Rumford, as well as earlier Jell-O booklets illustrated by Rose O’Neill and Maxfield Parrish.

📏 Display Notes

These cards look great in a small shadow box, a kitchen-themed frame, or a recipe-ephemera album. Use archival sleeves and acid-free mats, and keep them out of direct sunlight to prevent fading. Please don’t tape or glue them.

📦 Shipping

The cards will be placed in protective sleeves between rigid board stiffeners and shipped flat in an envelope marked “Do Not Bend” via USPS Ground Advantage with tracking. Handling time is up to three business days after the sale.

💰 Buy It Now Price: $16.95

A complete, near-mint folding Jell-O insert from about 1920 recently listed at $29.75. These are separated panels with age toning, but there are three of them, including the illustrated Cucumber Salad card. $16.95 reflects that balance.

Questions? Feel free to message before buying. Smoke-free home.