author
Known today for a single surviving household guide, this mid-19th-century writer offers a vivid glimpse of home cooking and domestic life in 1850s Philadelphia.

by active 1855 Mary Hodgson
Mary Hodgson is a little-documented American author associated with The Philadelphia Housewife; or, Family Receipt Book, published in Philadelphia in 1855. The book was issued by J. B. Lippincott & Co., and Project Gutenberg lists her simply as "Mary Hodgson, active 1855," which suggests that firm biographical details about her have not survived.
Her work blends recipes with practical household advice, reflecting the everyday concerns of running a home in the mid-19th century. Because so little personal information is confirmed, her reputation rests mainly on this book and the window it opens onto domestic life, food, and family management in that period.
No clearly verified portrait of Mary Hodgson was found from the sources reviewed, so a profile image is not included.