Home
life
food
news
10 vintage photos of Julia Child in the kitchen that will inspire you to cook

10 vintage photos of Julia Child in the kitchen that will inspire you to cook

Zoë Miller

Child displays a salad Niçoise she prepared in her vacation home in southern France, circa 1978.Anonymous/Associated Press

Julia Child fell in love with French cooking while attending the famed Cordon Bleu cooking school and brought her skills to American audiences.
She was the first woman inducted into the Culinary Institute of America's Hall of Fame.
In honor of her birthday on August 15, Insider is sharing images of Child doing what she did best — cooking.

Julia Child (1912 to 2004) introduced French cooking to Americans through her famous cookbook and the subsequent TV series that evolved from her recipes. At a time when quick (often canned) meals were the norm, Child helped transform America's culinary landscape.

In honor of her birthday, which falls on August 15, Insider rounded up images of Child cooking. Special thanks goes to the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America at Harvard University's Radcliffe Institute for providing photos taken by Child's husband, Paul.

Keep scrolling to see 10 vintage photos of the beloved chef and cultural icon in the kitchen and learn more about her life and legacy.

Julia Child was born in 1912 in Pasadena, California.

Child kneads dough in a Maine log cabin. Photograph by Paul Child. © Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University ( olvwork405223).

Her maiden name was Julia McWilliams.

After graduating from Smith College, one of the Seven Sisters schools, she worked in advertising.

Child demonstrates how to cook fish. Photograph by Paul Child. © Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University (olvwork539736).

She met her future husband, Paul Child, during World War II, while working in Asia for the Office of Strategic Services (the precursor to the CIA).

After the war, Julia and her husband Paul Child lived in Paris for six years.

Child with other chefs and students at Le Cordon Bleu. Photograph by Paul Child. © Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University (olvwork535349).

Child fell in love with French cooking while attending the famed Cordon Bleu cooking school. She also took private cooking lessons with master chef Max Bugnard.

During her time in France, Child met Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, who would later co-author the hallmark cookbook "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."

Child in her Paris, France, kitchen. Photograph by Paul Child. © Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University ( olvwork577872).

In 1952, the three friends founded an informal cooking school in Paris called L'École des Trois Gourmandes (The School of the Three Hearty Eaters).

Although they kept a home in the south of France, Julia and Paul settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the '60s.

Child prepares a "primordial soup." Photograph by Paul Child. © Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University (olvwork587606).

It was in the Boston area that Child launched her television career.

The show that became "The French Chef" was sparked by a promotional appearance on another local program.

From the lobster episode of "The French Chef." Photograph by Paul Child. © Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University (olvwork539193).

After giving a cooking demonstration on "I've Been Reading," another show produced by Boston public TV station WGBH, nearly 30 viewers wrote in requests that Child should host her own series.

Since Child's show was WGBH's first cooking program, the station filmed three pilot episodes. The initial pilot focused on crafting the French omelette while the second and third pilots respectively centered on coq au vin and soufflés.

Child was known for her lovable, exuberant personality — and for laughing at her own mistakes.

Child in her kitchen in Cambridge, Massachusetts, circa 1978. Lynn Gilbert/Wikimedia Commons

Child's signature catchphrases include "Horray" and "Yum, yum."

Following "The French Chef," she hosted additional cooking shows into the year 2000 — just four years before her death at the age of 91.

Child displays a salad Niçoise she prepared in her vacation home in southern France, circa 1978. Anonymous/Associated Press

From "Julia Child & Company" in the late '70s to "In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs" in the mid-1990s, Child entertained generations of Americans on the airwaves — and taught them the art of French cuisine.

Child accomplished many groundbreaking feats during her career. For instance, she launched the James Beard Foundation in 1986 to honor Beard, who was her culinary mentor.

Circa 1968, Child feeds James Beard on WGBH's fish program. Photograph by Paul Child. © Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University (olvwork587132).

Each year, the organization recognizes top restaurants and restaurateurs in the US with the prestigious James Beard Foundation Awards.

In 1993, she was the first woman inducted into the Culinary Institute of America's Hall of Fame.

Circa 1992, Child holds tomatoes in her Cambridge, Massachusetts, kitchen. Jon Chase/Associated Press

Hollywood paid homage to her legacy with the 2009 Nora Ephron film "Julie & Julia," which was based on Child's posthumously published autobiography "My Life in France" and Julie Powell's eponymous memoir.