Accounting For Taste

Arthur Anderson was one of America’s largest accounting firms. Founded in Illinois by its namesake (along with partners) in 1913, the firm’s first client was the Schliz Brewing Company. After Anderson’s death in 1947, the firm grew exponentially as a consulting company, but also began to  lose touch with its founder’s rigid expectations of “by the book”  accounting practices. 

 

 

In the early 2000s, the firm became wrapped up in the financial scandal of one of its major clients: Enron, leading to Arther Anderson’s eventual dissolution. 

 

 

In its heyday of the 1980s and 90s, Arther Anderson had offices all over the world in more than 50 countries. This cookbook marks the 1981 International Partners meeting at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and was compiled by “partners’ wives”. Even in the 1980s, this book, like so many in the Archive, points to gendered expectations of all straight male partners, and the women who support them,

 

In the year of this book’s publication,  the 1,200 partners’ wives were chaired by Los-Angeles-based Sandra Ausman. In addition to being the wife of Arthur Anderson managing partner  Sheldon Ausman, Ms. Ausman was an accomplished civic organizer and fundraiser in LA. She served as LA County’s protocol chief and was an active member of the County’s executive committee during the 1984 Olympics.