Martha Stewart took fans on a nostalgic trip down memory lane, sharing a series of rare throwback photographs that capture the early days of the empire that would eventually make her a household name.
Ahead of celebrating her 85th birthday on August 3, the lifestyle icon posted never-before-seen images from 1976 at her beloved Turkey Hill home in Westport, Connecticut – the property that would inspire her first cookbook and lay the foundations for her extraordinary career.
In one image, Martha leans casually against a wooden wagon wearing denim overalls layered over a striped T-shirt, finishing the effortlessly chic look with oversized sunglasses as she smiles in the summer sunshine.
“Let this 1976 snapshot of Martha in Westport, Connecticut serve as your ultimate summer inspiration,” the caption read.
The post went on to explain that the picturesque farmstead became the backdrop for many of Martha’s earliest ideas, from cultivating sprawling gardens to entertaining guests and eventually creating the recipes and lifestyle philosophy that appeared in her debut book, Entertaining.
“It has always been a good thing,” the post added, referring to Martha’s lifelong love of collecting fresh eggs from her poultry.
© Getty ImagesThe home that inspired an empire
Just days earlier, Martha had shared another nostalgic photograph from the same property, this time posing with a flock of grey geese she had raised from eggs.
“Years ago at Turkey Hill, I raised these beautiful gray geese from eggs,” Martha recalled.
“They were interesting and taught me a lot. They, and the chickens and turkeys I nurtured, infused in me a love of sustainable, organic and carefully raised poultry and eggs.”
The television personality revealed she still keeps geese today, with birds from five different countries living at her Bedford, New York, farm.
© Arthur SchatzFrom stockbroker to lifestyle icon
Long before she became America’s queen of entertaining, Martha worked as a stockbroker in New York during the late 1960s before gradually turning her attention to catering, cooking and publishing.
Her first cookbook, Entertaining, was published in 1982 and became an instant success, paving the way for dozens more bestselling titles throughout the 1980s and beyond.
Her influence only continued to grow after the launch of Martha Stewart Living magazine in 1990, which at its peak sold around two million copies per issue.
Three years later, she brought her signature style to television with Martha Stewart Living, before launching The Martha Stewart Show and building her multimedia company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, into one of the world’s most recognisable lifestyle brands.
© WireImageLooking ahead to 85
Martha’s reflective posts come just weeks before her milestone birthday and after another busy year that saw her once again address speculation surrounding her famously youthful appearance.
Speaking to People earlier this year, she firmly denied ever having cosmetic surgery.
“Everybody insists that I’ve had plastic surgery and I have not ever had plastic surgery,” she said.
“I’m the most honest person on earth… That’s the truth!”
She explained that the only time a plastic surgeon had worked on her face was after a dog accidentally split her lip, requiring 16 stitches.
“That is the only time I’ve ever had a plastic surgeon touch my face,” she said.
While Martha has admitted to occasionally using fillers, she has also revealed she avoids Botox and remains committed to looking after herself naturally.
“I don’t think a lot about age,” she previously said on The Martha Stewart Podcast. “But I don’t want to look my age at all. And that’s why I really work hard at it.”
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