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 14 items.
Page 1 of 2
Bread-slicing Machine
- Description
- This commercial bread-slicing machine was designed and manufactured in 1928 by Otto Frederick Rohwedder (1880-1960). It was used to slice loaves of fresh bakery bread at Korn's Bakery, in Rohwedder's home town of Davenport, Iowa, beginning in late 1928. This is Rohwedder's second automatic bread-slicer, the first having fallen apart after about six months of heavy use at Bench's Bakery, in Chillicothe, Missouri.
- The public loved the convenience of sliced bread and, by 1929, Rohwedder's Mac-Roh Company was feverishly meeting the demand for bread-slicing machines. By the following year, the Continental Baking Company was selling sliced bread under the Wonder Bread label. Having achieved success, Mr. Rohwedder reflected on his invention in the June 1930 issue of the Atlanta-based bakery trade journal, New South Baker: "I have seen enough bakers benefit in a big way from Sliced Bread to know that the same results can be obtained by any baker anywhere if he goes about the matter correctly. A good loaf, a proper presentation of Sliced Bread to the grocers and a truthful, clean advertising program based upon successful experiences and the baker can build his business far beyond what he could do without Sliced Bread. . . We are continuing our experimental and developmental work confident in the belief that the real possibilities of Sliced Bread have scarcely been scratched."
- This 1928 bread-slicing machine was manufactured by the Micro Machine Company, of Bettendorf, Iowa, for the Davenport-based Mac-Roh Sales and Manufacturing Company. It was donated to the Museum by Mr. Rohwedder's daughter, Mrs. Margaret R. Steinhauer, of Albion, Michigan, in 1974.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1928
- maker
- Micro Machine Company
- ID Number
- 1975.315261.1
- accession number
- 1975.315261
- catalog number
- 1975.315261.1
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Triple Chocolate Liquor Mill
- Description
- There are many stages in the process of making a luscious bar of milk chocolate from dried and roasted cocoa beans. This machine, a chocolate liquor mill used in the Hershey chocolate factory from about 1920 to the late 1970s, was critical in the early stages of the process. Between heated stones, the mill ground the "nibs," or cracked cores of the cocoa beans, melting the cocoa butter contained inside. The resulting liquefied cocoa butter and ground nibs produced a mixture called "chocolate liquor," (a liquor with no alcoholic content). Unsweetened chocolate liquor is very bitter, and, while normally it isn't eaten as is, it can be used in the production of certain food products or sold as baking chocolate. To make "eating chocolate," like that in candy bars, the chocolate liquor requires many more additives, as well as the processes of mixing, refining, and conching.
- Milton Snavely Hershey's (1857-1945) road to becoming the most recognized name in the American chocolate industry was neither smooth nor entirely sweet. After failing at the confectionary business in Philadelphia, Denver, and New York, Hershey moved back to his hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and began a business making caramel candies. While the company enjoyed modest success, Hershey was continually experimenting with new products.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1918
- maker
- J. M. Lehmann Machine Works
- ID Number
- 1980.0021.01
- accession number
- 1980.0021
- catalog number
- 1980.0021.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Chocolate-Making Conch
- Description
- The chocolate-making conche was named for the resemblance of initial designs to the shell of the conch, a sea-dwelling invertebrate. Invented in 1879 by Rudolph Lindt, the conche is outfitted with large stone rollers that are used to mix and aerate the liquid chocolate. An ad for the "Longitudinal Refining Machine" offered by J.M. Lehmann in an 1899 catalog describes the function of the unit: "In working Chocolate by this machine the highly prized melting character of the chocolate is obtained and besides the taste is considerably improved...No other machine will obtain similar favorable results...[a]s Chocolate handled by this machine becomes very fluid, obviating an excessive addition of Cocoa Butter. . ."
- The process of conching is one of the last stages in the production of milk chocolate. It develops the chocolate flavor, darkens the chocolate's color, stabilizes the viscous properties of the chocolate mass by covering all aspects with cocoa butter, and generally lowers the moisture content of the mass. Manufacturing processes vary; some producers add milk, sugar, and flavorings to the chocolate mass or liquor (a semi-liquid ground cocoa bean mixture), before the mixture is refined and conched. Others contend that the heat involved in conching destroys volatile flavor compounds, so flavors are added later. Conching can last from one to four days, and once it is finished, the mixture is melted, deposited into bar molds, and allowed to cool.
- The conche was part of a donation by the Hershey Foods Corporation of three machines representing major steps in the chocolate making process: the grinding of "nibs" (the roasted core of the cocoa bean) in the chocolate liquor mill is one of the first steps, the conche performs important mixing and heating functions in the middle of the process, and the depositor ejects milk chocolate that hardens into the final candy bar form. This conche was manufactured in approximately 1920, and was in use at the Hershey chocolate Company.
- Milton Snavely Hershey was a candymaker long before he became a significant figure in the American chocolate industry. After failed business ventures in Philadelphia, Denver, and New York, Hershey was finally able to establish a successful trade in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, making caramel candies. He traveled to the World's Columbian Exposition (1893), and visited many of the agricultural and food-related exhibitions there. The J.M. Lehmann Company had a fully functional chocolate bar production line on display in the Machinery Building, and before the close of the Exposition on October 30, 1893, Hershey had arranged to buy the machines that had been in the display. By New Year's Day 1894, Hershey was making cocoa products. He began offering solid chocolate candies in 1896, and, in 1900, the first Hershey's Milk Chocolate bars were offered for sale in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1920
- ID Number
- 1980.0021.02
- accession number
- 1980.0021
- catalog number
- 1980.0021.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Chocolate Depositor
- Description
- This depositor was in use at the Hershey chocolate factory from 1906 until it was donated to the museum in the late 1970s. Markings on the machine indicate that it was used to make milk chocolate and almond candy bars. A set of two depositors would be used to fill stainless steel bar molds with the semi-liquid chocolate mixture, each machine filling alternate rows on the molds. Moving on the conveyor belt, the chocolate would set into bars as it cooled in the molds on a twenty-minute ride through a "cooling tunnel." The molds were subjected to bumpy vibration as they traveled along the conveyor belt; the vibration helped to remove bubbles and air pockets, ensuring a solid candy bar. Once the chocolate had completely cooled and set, the finished candy bars would progress to wrapping and packaging.
- The famous factory in Hershey, Pennsylvania was not the original location of Milton Snavely Hershey's candy-making enterprise. M.S. Hershey had attempted a number of business ventures in Philadelphia, New York, and Chicago before settling back in his hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the early 1890s, and opening a caramel candy making company.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- maker
- Racine Engine and Machinery Company
- ID Number
- 1980.0021.03
- accession number
- 1980.0021
- catalog number
- 1980.0021.03
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Krispy Automatic Ring-King Junior Doughnut Machine
- Description
- The Krispy Automatic Ring-King Junior was introduced by the Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation of Winston-Salem, N.C., in the 1950s. It was designed for making the company's signature product—hot glazed doughnuts—in small retail operations around the United States and abroad. The Ring-King Junior could produce about 60 dozen doughnuts an hour, and was used until the late 1960s.
- This doughnut machine was part of a collection of artifacts and archival materials donated to the Museum in 1997 on the 60th anniversary of the Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation. The collection documents the history of an American business enterprise and also provides a view into food technology, marketing, and southern regional food traditions.
- maker
- Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation
- ID Number
- 1997.0179.01
- accession number
- 1997.0179
- catalog number
- 1997.0179.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Stoneware Water Cooler
- Description
- Eleazer Orcutt was trained as a potter by his father in Whately, Massachusetts and operated potteries at various times around New York State and in New England. He partnered with Horace Humiston in Troy, New York in 1832. This ice water cooler was probably made for an individual or firm named A. Drown in Canaan, New York and is decorated with a classical figure holding a lute.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- about 1832
- maker
- Orcutt, Eleazer
- Humiston, Horace
- ID Number
- CE*300894.017
- catalog number
- 300894.17
- accession number
- 300894
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Stoneware Crock
- Description
- John Burger managed Nathan Clark’s Rochester, New York pottery beginning in 1841, before Clark sold his share of the business to Burger and Thompson Harrington in the early 1850s. Burger’s salt-glazed stoneware is similar to Clark’s work; both are known for their cobalt flower designs with strongly accentuated leaf patterns and generous use of color. The shape of this jar reflects the shift around the 1860’s towards straight-sided rather than ovoid pots.
- date made
- 1854-1867
- maker
- Burger, John
- ID Number
- CE*319884.161
- catalog number
- 319884.161
- accession number
- 319884
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Patent Model for Paper Bag Machine
- Description (Brief)
- Margaret Knight (1838–1914) applied for a patent using this model to demonstrate her machine that folded and pasted flat-bottomed paper bags. She was granted patent number 220925 for the invention in 1879. Her concept continues to be used in the manufacture of today's paper grocery bag.
- Margaret was born in Maine, later living in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Her first patented invention, inspired by her work at a Springfield, Massachusetts paper company, was her machine for improvement in paper-feeding; it was given patent number 109224 in 1870. She received 26 patents for inventions having to do with the paper bag, shoe manufacturing, and rotary engine industries.
- While many women had innovative ideas during the 19th century, it was difficult for them to secure patents under their own names. Knight's inventions are celebrated because they demonstrate women's participation in the American patent system.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1879
- patent date
- 1879-10-28
- maker
- Knight, Margaret E.
- ID Number
- 1980.0004.01
- accession number
- 1980.0004
- catalog number
- 1980.0004.01
- patent number
- 220925
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Oyster Tin, Pride of the Chesapeake Brand
- Description
- This gallon tin once contained fresh oyster meats packed by the J. D. Groves & Co., located at 117 S. Calvert St. and 116 Cheapside, in Baltimore, Maryland. J. D. Groves also packed fish, fruits, and produce at this address, and was a delegate at the first annual meeting of the Oyster Growers and Dealers Association of North America, held in Baltimore May 18-19, 1909.
- In 1906 the U.S. Congress passed several pure food laws in response to outbreaks of typhoid fever and gastrointestinal ailments linked to poor sanitation. Several new regulations were imposed on the oyster industry after contaminated oysters were blamed for serious illnesses. The laws required inspections of oyster beds and packing houses, as well as the identification of shellfish sources and standardized labeling.
- This tin probably dates to the period 1920-30, when colorful lithographed tins became popular. The distinctive orange tin features a porthole design with a sailing schooner inside. Like many Baltimore oyster packers, the J. D. Groves Company included a message to consumers concerning the sanitary conditions under which the oysters were packed. The reverse of the can reads:
- “WE GUARANTEE THIS CAN TO CONTAIN STRICTLY FRESH SHUCKED OYSTERS / FREE FROM PRESERVATIVES OF ANY KIND / QUALITY AND QUANTITY GUARANTEED.”
- date made
- 1920s
- 1920-1930
- maker
- J. D. Groves & Co.
- ID Number
- 2007.0054.01
- catalog number
- 2007.0054.01
- accession number
- 2007.0054
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Oyster Tin, Foote's Best Oysters
- Description
- This gallon tin once contained fresh oyster meats packed by the D. E. Foote & Co., Inc. Established in 1870 on West and Jackson Streets in Baltimore, D. E. Foote was one of a hundred oyster packing firms in the city that year, reflecting the enormous volume of trade in oysters from the Chesapeake Bay.
- In 1906 the U.S. Congress passed several pure food laws in response to outbreaks of typhoid fever and gastrointestinal ailments linked to poor sanitation. Several new regulations were imposed on the oyster industry after contaminated oysters were blamed for serious illnesses. The laws required inspections of oyster beds and packing houses, as well as the identification of shellfish sources and standardized labeling.
- This tin probably dates to the period 1920-30, when colorful lithographed tins became popular. It includes the old-style bail handle, a feature that was phased out around this time in an effort to reduce manufacturing costs. Like many Baltimore oyster packers, the Foote Company addressed consumers’ fears about sanitation by emphasizing the clean conditions under which the oysters were handled and citing its compliance with the law. The message to consumers on the reverse of the can reads: “THIS CAN CONTAINS STRICTLY FRESH SHUCKED SALT WATER OYSTERS PACKED UNDER PERSONAL SUPERVISION IN THE MOST SANITARY MANNER IN CONFORMITY WITH THE NATIONAL PURE FOOD LAW. KEEP ON ICE UNTIL USED.”
- date made
- 1920-1930
- maker
- D. E. Foote & Co., Inc
- ID Number
- 2007.0062.01
- catalog number
- 2007.0062.01
- accession number
- 2007.0062
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
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