This photograph, taken by Frances Benjamin Johnston, depicts a cook in the White House Kitchen in 1893. Although she is unidentified, White House cooks during Benjamin Harrison's presidency include Dolly Johnson, Mary Robinson, and Lucy Branch. In 1889, Johnson came to Washington, D.C. from Louisville, Kentucky, to serve as chief cook for President Harrison. Her immediate predecessor, Madame Madeleine Pelouard of France, was known for her haute cuisine, but several newspapers of the time deemed Johnson’s cooking more suitable for the president’s “plain American taste.” She also worked in this role during President Grover Cleveland's second term as president.
This photograph, taken by Frances Benjamin Johnston, depicts a cook in the White House Kitchen in 1893. Although she is unidentified, White House cooks during Benjamin Harrison's presidency include Dolly Johnson, Mary Robinson, and Lucy Branch. In 1889, Johnson came to Washington, D.C. from Louisville, Kentucky, to serve as chief cook for President Harrison. Her immediate predecessor, Madame Madeleine Pelouard of France, was known for her haute cuisine, but several newspapers of the time deemed Johnson’s cooking more suitable for the president’s “plain American taste.” She also worked in this role during President Grover Cleveland's second term as president.
