Life’s Batter with Cake: Celebrating National Cake Day with the Still Picture Branch

Being the week of Thanksgiving, this time of year is usually all about pie. But National Cake Day sneaks in on November 26! To honor the delicious treat during a time when it may be overshadowed by its flaky-crust cousins, please enjoy this collection of images from the Still Picture Branch holdings of tasty cakes. These photographs show how cake is used to commemorate pretty much any joyful event – from weddings to cooking classes to birthdays (even at the National Archives!), cakes are a delicious way to celebrate hard work and excitement of any kind.

*Left: Cutting the cake at the Archives 50th Birthday picnic in 1984. Local ID: 64-PF-1984F-33*.
*Right: A staff member hands a slice of cake to Sixth Archivist of the United States Robert Warner at the Archives 50th Birthday picnic in 1984. Local ID: 64-PF-1984F-34*.

There’s a long photographic history of cake appreciation – all the way back to World War I!

Original caption: A Token of the Boy’s Admiration of Admiral Sims. This shows what the boys abroad think of Admiral Sims of the U. S. Navy. It Is a birthday cake that was given to the Admiral on his birthday with the very best regards of the men. Local ID: 165-WW-332D-36, NAID: 45512176.

Cakes come in all shapes and sizes…

… and sometimes cake is more metaphorical!

Original caption: Marines Bake 1000 Pound “Cake”–The flying Leathernecks of Marine Air Group 33, prepare to serve a 1000 pound “cake” to the Reds on November 10, in celebration of the Marine Corps’ 177th Birthday. The “bombing party” had a large turnout of fighter pilots from the group’s three jet squadrons. Local ID: 127-N-A345081.

Cakes can be used to celebrate a wide variety of occasions.

Left: For his nineteenth birthday, this Sergeant’s buddies baked him a cake and decorated it with the tools of his trade. P. S. He didn’t light the “candles”. May to June, 1942. Local ID: 111-SC-150930-B, NAID: 531143.
Right: Cake presented to Governor Francis K. Newcomer on turnover of Canal-Railroad organization to the Panama Canal Company. Balboa Heights, Canal Zone, July 2, 1951. Local ID: 185-CZ-23-28-B-1(37), NAID: 202802993.

Original caption: Tec 4 George Lempianien, Menahga, Minn., of the 87th Signal Company, 87th Division, 1st U S Army, cuts a slice of cake, celebrating V-E Day at Falkenstein, Germany. Local ID: 111-SC-347429.

Original caption: Captain Roy E. Breen, CC NAS Lemoore and leader of the Blue Angels as they prepare to cut the cake presented to the Blue Angels on the occasion of their 1000th flight demonstration. Local ID: 428-GXA-16-1093001.
*To see more about the Blue Angels, check out the Unwritten Record post, “Take Flight with the Blue Angels“.*

Original caption: Abe Weigan, cake designer of German descent; Kurt Reichert, of German descent, decorated cake; and bakers who contributed to make of cake [at the Red Army Birthday Party at Carnegie Hall]. Local ID: 208-RVA-DEM-2e, NAID: 176250632.

Left: Shipmates look on as Albert Owens, CS2, USNR, explains the decorations on the 100 lb. cake he baked in honor of the USNS Repose (AH-16) celebrating the first birthday of the ships arrival in Pusan, Korea. The Repose arrived in Korea 20 Sept. 1950, and since then she has handled almost 10,000 bed patients and many more thousands of ambulatory patients. Local ID: 80-G-433419.
Right: Cake depicting 99th anniversary of Commo. Perry’s landing at Kurihama, Japan. Local ID: 80-G-445021.

Animals can celebrate too!

Original Caption:

Staff Sergeant “Spike”, mascot of the 3rd Marine Division Fleet Marine Force about to eat a meat loaf cake at a goodbye party held in his honor at the Camp Hauge Staff NCO Club. Local ID: 127-GW-602-A181476, NAID: 315834204.

Original caption:

Mrs. Adelaide Byers Div. of Oper. Whitney – Retired from Esp. St. OBrien Moon. Local ID: 95-GP-58-59-708, NAID: 7001767.

Let’s not forget the essential workers behind these confections – the bakers and decorators!

The photographs included in this post have no known copyright restrictions. If you have any questions about the images in this post or the holdings of the Still Picture Branch, please contact us at stillpix@nara.gov.

PUBLICATION OF PHOTOGRAPHS FURNISHED BY THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES STILL PICTURE BRANCH-RRSS

Generally, copies of photographic records held by the National Archives may be published without special permission or additional fees. The National Archives does not grant exclusive or non-exclusive publication privileges. Copies of Federal records, as part of the public domain, are equally available to all. A small percentage of photographs in our holdings are or may be subject to copyright restrictions. The National Archives does not confirm the copyright status of photographs but will provide any information known about said status. It is the user’s responsibility to obtain all necessary clearances. Any use of these items is made at the researcher’s or purchaser’s own risk.

Proper credit lines are encouraged in the interest of good documentation. They also help inform the public about government photographic resources that are available.

*Because so many of our requests for information cite credits and captions that appear in published works, the inclusion of a photo number in hard copy and electronic publications is of great assistance to both us and the public.

Examples of preferred credit lines are as follows:

● National Archives photo no. 210-G-C241

● Credit National Archives (photo no. 83-G-41368)

● Courtesy National Archives, photo no. 83-G-41430

● National Archives (210-G-A14)

If using a large number of our images, the National Archives will appreciate receiving copies of publications that contain our photographs. Such copies can be sent to the Still Picture Branch or the Library, National Archives and Records Administration.