Woman reading a recipe book in a kitchen, c 1950.

ENGLAND - AUGUST 07: A photograph by Photographic Advertising Limited. A freshly baked fruit cake sits on the table in front of her. This photograph was taken in Photographic Advertising's studio kitchen. The company heavily promoted the kitchen and its authenticity appealed to clients. Photographic Advertising Limited, founded in 1926, created multi-purpose stock images with the potential for selling a range of products. Whilst enjoying its greatest success during the 1930s, it continued in business until 1977. Their trademark, the staged studio photograph resembling a film still, was its selling point and, later, its downfall. Sophisticated, adaptable and generic, this kind of image gradually fell out of favour as clients increasingly demanded targeted advertising campaigns with specific photographs. (Photo by SSPL/Getty Images)