George Elbert Burr worked as an illustrator for several magazines including Harper's, Cosmopolitan, and something called Frank Leslie's Weekly Newspaper. (Winslow Homer illustrated for the paper as well; three examples of his work for Leslie are in SAAM's collection). Burr created this menu for a Thanksgiving dinner in 1905 that included consomme, English plum pudding, charlotte russe (a dessert of cream and ladyfingers), and of course, the turkey, illustrated here in a simple pen and ink and watercolor drawing. More than one hundred years later, the menu—as well as the drawing—holds its own.
Born in Ohio in 1859, Burr died in Arizona in 1939. In addition to this drawing, SAAM's collection contains nearly three hundred works by Burr. They range from moody aquatints of the American southwest to watercolors sketched on a grand tour of Europe.
Holiday Note: After you've completed your own Thanksgiving menu and want to walk off some of those extra calories come on down to SAAM. We're open from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.
