Charley Harper’s Cookbook

Charley Harper, the mid-century illustrator most famous for his minimalist birds and wildlife, was given an interesting commission early in his career: illustrate Betty Crocker’s Dinner for Two Cookbook. 

The recipes in the cookbook aren’t exactly to be recommended, but the illustrations are delightful. They range from the charming (a lamb dreaming of chefs jumping over a fence, a pioneer woman with a shopping cart in the woods) to the rather creepy (potato ‘eyes’ actually being eyes). Here’s a selection, with more to come.