In 2001 Julia Child gave her kitchen to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
The kitchen, designed by her husband Paul, was where millions of Americans watched as Child worked her culinary magic on her incredibly popular public-television series.
Christine Klepper, a Museum Studies graduate student at The George Washington University, has been spending some time in the kitchen working with the books. Her recent post on the blog of the National Museum of American History, What’s on Julia Child’s bookshelf, recounts her experience:
My assignment in the kitchen was to complete object condition reports on all 27 books on the kitchen bookshelf. My goal was to assess each book’s current condition, compare my observations with previous records, and, if its condition required, bring the book to the attention of a museum conservator. The bookshelf was located between Julia’s refrigerator and a glass view portal designed so visitors can see into the kitchen
Each book was labeled “Kitchen Copy” and interestingly enough none of the cookbooks had any edits in Child’s hand to the recipes.
Here is a video tour of the kitchen: