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 31 items.
Page 1 of 4
Fruit Crate Label
- Description (Brief)
- Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
- This Governor Winthrop brand fruit crate label was used by the G. Winthrop Coffin distribution company of Seattle, Wenatchee, and Yakima, Washington. The lithographed label was produced by the Union Lithograph Company, Inc. of San Francisco, California. The blue label features an illustration of men taking a small rowboat ashore from their large ship, the Arbella. John Winthrop took the Arbella from England to the New World, where he was the Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony on and off from 1630-1649.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- referenced business
- G. Winthrop Coffin
- ID Number
- 1979.0441.043
- accession number
- 1979.0441
- catalog number
- 1979.0441.043
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Apple Crate Label
- Description (Brief)
- Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
- This Wilko brand apple crate was used by the Wilbur-Ellis Company of Seattle, Washington during the early 20th century. The label has a yellow background with a green border, and a large red apple in the center.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- referenced business
- Wilbur-Ellis Company Distributors
- ID Number
- 1979.0441.062
- accession number
- 1979.0441
- catalog number
- 1979.0441.062
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Apple Crate Label
- Description (Brief)
- Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
- This Delight brand apple crate label was used by the North Pacific Sale Company of Seattle, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label was produced by Stecher-Traung of San Francisco, California. The label features a rolling orchard underneath a large mountain, with a red and golden apple in the corner. Fruit crate labels often depicted landscapes like this to evoke a sense of fresh, natural produce.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- referenced business
- North Pacific Sales Co.
- ID Number
- 1979.0441.063
- accession number
- 1979.0441
- catalog number
- 1979.0441.063
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Apple Crate Label
- Description (Brief)
- Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
- This Snoboy brand apple crate label was used by the Pacific Fruit and Produce Company of Seattle, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label was produced by the Schmidt L. Company of Seattle, Washington. The label has a blue background, with an illustration of a snowman holding a red apple and waving.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- referenced business
- Pacific Fruit & Produce Co.
- ID Number
- 1979.0441.081
- accession number
- 1979.0441
- catalog number
- 1979.0441.081
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Apple Crate Label
- Description (Brief)
- Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
- This Enpee brand apple crate label was used by the North Pacific Sales Company of Seattle, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label has a blue background with the letters “N.P.” in the center, filled with triangles of a variety of colors.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- referenced business
- North Pacific Sales Co.
- ID Number
- 1979.0441.124
- accession number
- 1979.0441
- catalog number
- 1979.0441.124
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Ammonia Shipping Crate
- Description (Brief)
- This end panel of a Crescent Manufacturing Company Household Ammonia shipping crate is imprinted with the company’s crescent moon trademark. The company was founded in Seattle, Washington in 1883 as a supplier of vanilla extract to the Pacific Northwest. Later becoming Crescent Foods Inc., the company made its mark on the consumer landscape in 1905 with its Mapleine imitation maple flavoring which is still sold today by McCormick, which bought Crescent in 1989.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- referenced business
- Crescent Mfg. Co.
- ID Number
- 1979.0441.166
- catalog number
- 1979.0441.166
- accession number
- 1979.0441
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Biscuit Shipping Crate
- Description (Brief)
- This shipping crate side was used by the Yours Truly Biscuit Company of Seattle, Washington during the early 20th century.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- referenced business
- Yours Truly Biscuit Co.
- ID Number
- 1979.0441.167
- catalog number
- 1979.0441.167
- accession number
- 1979.0441
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Catsup Shipping Crate
- Description (Brief)
- This shipping crate side contained red delicious apples grown and packed by Tiger Mountain Orchards of Tiger, Georgia during the early 20th century. The crate side features an illustration of an orchard in front of a mountain.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- referenced business
- National Grocery Co.
- ID Number
- 1979.0441.187
- catalog number
- 1979.0441.187
- accession number
- 1979.0441
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Grinnell Company Shipping Crate
- Description (Brief)
- This shipping crate side was used by the Grinnell Company of the Pacific from Seattle, Washington during the early 20th century. The crate lists the company’s address as 3105 Elliott Avenue, Seattle, Washington.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- referenced business
- Grinnell Corp.
- ID Number
- 1979.0441.206
- catalog number
- 1979.0441.206
- accession number
- 1979.0441
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Spinach Shipping Crate
- Description (Brief)
- This shipping crate end contained Happy Home brand spinach, which was distributed by the Schwabacher Brothers Company, based in Seattle, Washington. Schwabacher Brothers Co., Inc. was founded in 1860 and became a retail empire by selling clothing, groceries, and hardware in the Pacific Northwest.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- referenced business
- Schwabacher Bros. & Co. Inc.
- ID Number
- 1979.0441.209
- catalog number
- 1979.0441.209
- accession number
- 1979.0441
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center