Food - Overview
Part of a nation's history lies in what people eat. Artifacts at the Museum document the history of food in the United States from farm machinery to diet fads.
More than 1,300 pieces of stoneware and earthenware show how Americans have stored, prepared, and served food for centuries. Ovens, cookie cutters, kettles, aprons, and ice-cream-making machines are part of the collections, along with home canning jars and winemaking equipment. More than 1,000 objects recently came to the Museum when author and cooking show host Julia Child donated her entire kitchen, from appliances to cookbooks.
Advertising and business records of several food companies—such as Hills Brothers Coffee, Pepsi Cola, and Campbell's Soup—represent the commercial side of the subject
"Food - Overview" showing 2 items.
Stoneware jug
- Description
- Made by William Lundy in Troy, New York, the unusual decoration on this jug features two American flags and an anchor. An Irish immigrant, Lundy worked at a number of Troy potteries in the 1820s.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- about 1826
- maker
- Lundy, William
- Church, Jr., Nathan
- ID Number
- 1977.0803.139
- accession number
- 1977.0803
- catalog number
- 1977.0803.139
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Stoneware jug
- Description
- This jug was probably made by William Lundy and Nathan Church, Jr. at Israel Seymour’s Troy, New York pottery. The potters achieved the distinctive decoration on this piece by using both cobalt and manganese oxides to fill in the incised floral motif.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1819-1824
- maker
- Lundy, William
- Church, Jr., Nathan
- ID Number
- 1979.0577.08
- accession number
- 1979.0577
- catalog number
- 1979.577.8
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center