Family & Social Life - Overview
Donations to the Museum have preserved irreplaceable evidence about generations of ordinary Americans. Objects from the Copp household of Stonington, Connecticut, include many items used by a single family from 1740 to 1850. Other donations have brought treasured family artifacts from jewelry to prom gowns. These gifts and many others are all part of the Museum's family and social life collections.
Children's books and Sunday school lessons, tea sets and family portraits also mark the connections between members of a family and between families and the larger society. Prints, advertisements, and artifacts offer nostalgic or idealized images of family life and society in times past. And the collections include a few modern conveniences that have had profound effects on American families and social life, such as televisions, video games, and personal computers.
"Family & Social Life - Overview" showing 383 items.
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Hy-Lo Thermos
- Description (Brief)
- This plain worker's metal and glass thermos bottle was made by Aladdin in 1949. It has a screw-on dark brown plastic cup, a cork stopper, and is painted dark green. The label reads “HY-LO Hot or Cold, The ‘All American’ Vacuum Bottle.”
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1949
- maker
- Aladdin
- ID Number
- 2003.3070.32
- nonaccession number
- 2003.3070
- catalog number
- 2003.3070.32
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Green Dome Lunch Box
- Description (Brief)
- This metal dome lunch box is painted green and has a collapsible hinged metal handle. The box was made by Thermos in 1941. A five pointed star is molded into each end of the dome lid. A wire bail for the thermos bottle is located inside the lid. The green painting of this metal lunch box is a departure from the plain metal boxes in earlier years, but still a step away from the licensed images that made lunchboxes a hot selling item.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1941
- maker
- American Thermos Bottle Company
- ID Number
- 2004.3009.17.01
- nonaccession number
- 2004.3009
- catalog number
- 2004.3009.17.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Green Dome Thermos
- Description (Brief)
- This plastic thermos bottle was made by Thermos in 1941. The bottle is red, black, and tan and is a half- pint size with a red, plastic screw-on cup lid, cork stopper and glass liner. The tag reads “The only Thermos, the Finest Vacuum Ware, ‘Thermos’ is a coined word, the name of a brand of vacuum ware made by The American Thermos Bottle Company, and by no one else. Do not accept a substitute.” This was an attempt to protect the Thermos brand but the trademark soon passed into generic usage.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1941
- maker
- American Thermos Bottle Company
- ID Number
- 2004.3009.17.02
- nonaccession number
- 2004.3009
- catalog number
- 2004.3009.17.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
sound recording: Whiffenpoof Song; Life Is Just a Bowl Of Cherries
- Description (Brief)
- Rudy Vallee and his Connecticut Yankees. side 1: WHIFFENPOOF SONG; side 2: LIFE IS JUST A BOWL OF CHERRIES (RCA Victor 27843). from the album, "Heigh Ho Everybody" (RCA Victor P 111)
- 78 rpm
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1942
- recording artist
- Rudy Vallee and His Connecticut Yankees
- maker
- RCA Victor
- ID Number
- 1981.0656.527
- maker number
- 27843
- P 111
- accession number
- 1981.0656
- catalog number
- 1981.0656.527
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
sound recording: Child Of a Disordered Brain; Body and Soul
- Description (Brief)
- Earl Hines playing the Storytone piano. side 1: CHILD OF A DISORDERED BRAIN; side 2: BODY AND SOUL (Bluebird B-10642)
- 78 rpm
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1940
- recording artist
- Hines, Earl
- maker
- Bluebird
- performer
- Earl Hines
- ID Number
- 1988.0698.1315
- catalog number
- 1988.0698.1315
- accession number
- 1988.0698
- catalog number
- 1988.698.1315
- maker number
- B-10642
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
sound recording: Bagel and Lox; Rogue River Valley
- Description (Brief)
- The Charioteers. side 1: BAGEL AND LOX; side 2: ROGUE RIVER VALLEY (Columbia 37195)
- 78 rpm
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1946
- recording artist
- Charioteers, The
- composer
- Carmichael, Hoagy
- Tepper, Sid
- Brodsky, Roy
- manufacturer
- Columbia
- ID Number
- 1996.0153.08704
- catalog number
- 1996.0153.08704
- label number
- 37195
- accession number
- 1996.0153
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
sound recording: Hawaiian Sunset; This Side of Heaven
- Description (Brief)
- The Charioteers. side 1: HAWAIIAN SUNSET; side 2: THIS SIDE OF HEAVEN (Columbia 38602)
- 78 rpm
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1941
- composer
- Browning, Duncan
- recording artist
- Charioteers, The
- composer
- Kaye, Billy
- Kaye, Sammy
- manufacturer
- Columbia
- ID Number
- 1996.0153.08707
- catalog number
- 1996.0153.08707
- label number
- 38602
- accession number
- 1996.0153
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
sound recording: I Miss you So; You're Breaking in a New Heart (While You're Breaking Mine)
- Description (Brief)
- The Charioteers. side 1: I MISS YOU SO; side 2: YOU'RE BREAKING IN A NEW HEART (WHILE YOU'RE BREAKING MINE) (Columbia 37546)
- 78 rpm
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1947
- recording artist
- Charioteers, The
- composer
- Drake, Ervin
- Shirl, Jimmy
- Henderson, Jimmy
- Scott, Bertha
- Robin, Sid
- manufacturer
- Columbia
- ID Number
- 1996.0153.08708
- catalog number
- 1996.0153.08708
- label number
- 37546
- accession number
- 1996.0153
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
sound recording: One More Dream (And She's Mine); No Soup
- Description (Brief)
- The Charioteers. side 1: ONE MORE DREAM (AND SHE'S MINE); side 2: NO SOUP (Columbia 36903)
- 78 rpm
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1945
- recording artist
- Charioteers, The
- composer
- Roberts, Allan
- Fisher, Doris
- Kaye, Buddy
- Manning, Dick
- manufacturer
- Columbia
- ID Number
- 1996.0153.08709
- catalog number
- 1996.0153.08709
- label number
- 36903
- accession number
- 1996.0153
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
sound recording: Oooh! Look-a There, Ain't She Pretty?; What Did He Say (The Mumble Song)
- Description (Brief)
- The Charioteers. side 1: OOOH! LOOK-A THERE, AIN'T SHE PRETTY?; side 2: WHAT DID HE SAY (THE MUMBLE SONG) (Columbia 38065)
- 78 rpm
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1947
- recording artist
- Charioteers, The
- composer
- Coben, Cy
- Grean, Charles
- Todd, Clarence
- Lombardo, Carmen
- manufacturer
- Columbia
- ID Number
- 1996.0153.08710
- catalog number
- 1996.0153.08710
- label number
- 38065
- accession number
- 1996.0153
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center