Did you know that February 17 is National Cabbage Day?
To observe the day celebrating this humble vegetable, we pulled out Mrs Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch, a 1901 novel by American author Alice Hegan Rice. It is the story of a family struggling against all odds in “the Cabbage Patch,” an old Louisville slum “where ramshackle cottages played hop-scotch over the railroad tracks.” This hopeful story follows the Wiggs as they face eviction from their dilapidated house and take in two orphanage fugitives.
Film adaptations of the book include:
- Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch, a 1914 silent film starring Blanche Chapman
- Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch, a 1919 silent film starring Marguerite Clark
- Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch, a 1934 film released by Paramount Pictures starring W.C. Fields
- Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch, a 1942 film also released by Paramount Pictures starring Fay Bainter
Special Collections’ 1928 copy of the work comes from the McLaughlin Collection and is a photoplay edition referring to the fact that it is a movie tie-in book. Most photoplays were reprints of novels and appeared prior to the movie release in the hopes one would read it promptly or save it for right after viewing the film.
Would you like to know see more of the 480 photoplay editions from the McLaughlin Collection? Come to Special Collections, we are located on the second floor of the Bartle Library.