Food

Photo of McCall's Cheese

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

Date: 1930s

Hershey's Milk Chocolate Box

Physical DescriptionPrinted on cardboard.General HistoryHershey's Milk Chocolate box that held candy bars.
Description
Physical Description
Printed on cardboard.
General History
Hershey's Milk Chocolate box that held candy bars.
date made
1943
associated dates
1941-1945
maker
Hershey Chocolate Corporation
ID Number
1992.3112.01
catalog number
1992.3112.01
nonaccession number
1992.3112

Ceramic bowl

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date designed
1939
date produced
1940
designer
Kogan, Belle
maker
Red Wing Potteries, Inc.
ID Number
1993.0234.02
catalog number
1993.0234.02
accession number
1993.0234

Hershey's Tropical Chocolate Bar

Physical DescriptionPaper candy wrapper over candy bar.General HistoryIn 1943, the procurement division of the army inquired about the possibility of obtaining a heat-resistant chocolate bar with an improved flavor.
Description
Physical Description
Paper candy wrapper over candy bar.
General History
In 1943, the procurement division of the army inquired about the possibility of obtaining a heat-resistant chocolate bar with an improved flavor. After a short period of experimentation, Hershey's Tropical Chocolate Bar in both one- and two-ounce sizes was added to the list of war production items. This bar was destined to exceed all other items in the tonnage produced. The Army-Navy "E" Production Award was given to Hershey Chocolate Corporation on August 22, 1942, in recognition of its outstanding war effort. The corporation received a flag to fly above the chocolate plant and a lapel pin for every employee. The award was presented for exceeding all production expectations in the manufacturing of an Emergency Field Ration. The “E” production award was not easily won nor lightly bestowed. The award recognized companies that consistently met high standards of quality and quantity in light of available resources. Major General Edmund Gregory said of Hershey, "The men and women of Hershey Chocolate Corporation have every reason to be proud of their great work in backing up our soldiers on the fighting fronts." In all, the Hershey Chocolate Corporation received five Army-Navy "E" awards.
date made
1943
maker
Hershey Chocolate Corporation
ID Number
1977.0865.07
catalog number
1977.0865.07
accession number
1977.0865
catalog number
80015M

Basket for Goldman's Folding Basket Carriage

To increase shoppers ability to purchase more groceries, Sylvan Goldman of Oklahoma City, developed a "combination of basket and carriage." He devised a folding frame with wheels and two shelves which held two stock wire baskets.
Description (Brief)
To increase shoppers ability to purchase more groceries, Sylvan Goldman of Oklahoma City, developed a "combination of basket and carriage." He devised a folding frame with wheels and two shelves which held two stock wire baskets. He filed for patent on March 14, 1938 and recieved approved patent on April 9, 1940 for the Folding Basket Carriage for Self-Serivce Stores.
Date made
ca 1937
maker
Folding Basket Carrier Co.
ID Number
CL.302377.03
accession number
302377
patent number
2196914
catalog number
302377.03

Goldman's Folding Basket Carriage

To increase shoppers ability to purchase more groceries, Sylvan Goldman of Oklahoma City, developed a "combination of basket and carriage." He devised a folding frame with wheels and two shelves which held two stock wire baskets.
Description
To increase shoppers ability to purchase more groceries, Sylvan Goldman of Oklahoma City, developed a "combination of basket and carriage." He devised a folding frame with wheels and two shelves which held two stock wire baskets. He filed for patent on March 14, 1938 and recieved approved patent on April 9, 1940 for the Folding Basket Carriage for Self-Serivce Stores.
The carrier is original but repainted in 1972 in the same green as original finish.
Date made
ca 1937
maker
Folding Basket Carrier Co.
ID Number
CL.302377.01
accession number
302377
patent number
2196914
catalog number
302377.01

Silkscreen Print, Mexican Man

This silkscreen print on paper is set in a thin wooden frame, on which the date 1938 is written.
Description
This silkscreen print on paper is set in a thin wooden frame, on which the date 1938 is written. It depicts an image of a Mexican man with a broad mustache, wearing a wide brim sombrero, golden earrings, and a red and yellow striped blanket-like shawl known as a “serape,” draped over a brown poncho and green shirt. He is shown lighting a cigarette.
The print came to the museum as part of a collection of objects and archival materials relating to Charles Elmer “C.E.” Doolin and the Fritos corn chip empire he founded. The Mexican man depicted is not explicitly connected to the Frito Company’s 1967 “Frito Bandito” advertising campaign, which was retired in 1971, due to complaints from the public and the National Mexican-American Anti-Defamation Committee. But the painting does connect to the Mexican heritage of Fritos, and their introduction to American consumers as a Tex-Mex-inspired snack with connections to the masa-based-foods of Mexico.
C.E. Doolin launched “Fritos” in 1932, inspired by a recipe he had purchased from Gustavo Olguin, a Mexican-American restaurant owner in San Antonio, where Doolin had worked as a fry cook. Olguin’s “fritos” (the name came from the Spanish word frit, meaning fried) were small fried corn chips made from masa dough. Doolin bought the recipe, Olguin’s hand-operated potato ricer, and nineteen customer accounts for the snack, all for $100. He then patented his own device for extruding the masa dough through a cutter, which produced ribbon-like strips that were then fried in hot oil. Doolin marketed the chips as an ingredient in recipes, many of which were inspired by his mother Daisy Dean Stephenson Doolin’s dishes for entertaining. The chips were used in both sweet and savory preparations, including as crust for fruitcakes, breading for salmon croquettes, and garnish for tuna salad.
In 1945 Doolin connected with Herman Lay, famous for automating the manufacturing process of potato chips and the head of H.W. Lay & Co. Lay took on the nationwide distribution of Fritos at this time. Doolin passed away in 1959, and in 1961 The Frito Company officially merged with H.W. Lay & Co. to become Frito-Lay. Frito-Lay went on to develop more products (including the wildly popular snack foods Cheetos and Doritos) and become the largest snack conglomerate in the world. Initially promoted as an ingredient in foods for entertaining, Fritos were advertised mostly to children, both in print and television campaigns and via cartoon characters such as the cowboy-inspired “Frito Kid.”
Fritos were most successful as a standalone snack. Following the success of the commercial potato chip in the 1930s, there was a growing market for other salty snacks and pre-packaged foods to be eaten on the go and in-between meals. The creation of “snack time” as a new type of American meal helped bolster the popularity of Doolin’s invention. The packaging of these snacks would also prove revolutionary—before 1900, snack foods and sweets were sold in small paper bags and portioned out by the grocer or shop owner. As manufacturers experimented with cans and glassine bags and materials such as wax paper and cellophane, they found new ways to keep food fresh and vacuum-packed until the customer opened it. Over the second half of the twentieth century, snack foods would develop into a $22 billion dollar industry.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1938
ID Number
2012.0078.02
catalog number
2012.0078.02
accession number
2012.0078

Basket for Goldman's Folding Basket Carriage

To increase shoppers ability to purchase more groceries, Sylvan Goldman of Oklahoma City, developed a "combination of basket and carriage." He devised a folding frame with wheels and two shelves which held two stock wire baskets.
Description (Brief)
To increase shoppers ability to purchase more groceries, Sylvan Goldman of Oklahoma City, developed a "combination of basket and carriage." He devised a folding frame with wheels and two shelves which held two stock wire baskets. He filed for patent on March 14, 1938 and recieved approved patent on April 9, 1940 for the Folding Basket Carriage for Self-Serivce Stores.
Date made
ca 1937
maker
Folding Basket Carrier Co.
ID Number
CL.302377.02
accession number
302377
patent number
2196914
catalog number
302377.02

Photograph of "McCall's Cheese"

Carbro color print, matted; Cheese and crackers with knife. Signed and dated on mat, pencil. Verso: handwritten "McCall's Cheese." This color photograph was used for the women's homemaking magazine, McCall's.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Carbro color print, matted; Cheese and crackers with knife. Signed and dated on mat, pencil. Verso: handwritten "McCall's Cheese." This color photograph was used for the women's homemaking magazine, McCall's.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1936
maker
Outerbridge, Jr., Paul
ID Number
PG.006063
catalog number
6063
accession number
223759
catalog number
6063

Wine bottle label, “Bargetto’s Zinfandel,”1930s

This paper label from the 1930s was used on bottles of Zinfandel produced by the Bargetto family in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains. Zinfandel, a red grape variety favored by Italian producers and consumers, was one of the grapes most widely grown during Prohibition.
Description
This paper label from the 1930s was used on bottles of Zinfandel produced by the Bargetto family in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains. Zinfandel, a red grape variety favored by Italian producers and consumers, was one of the grapes most widely grown during Prohibition. Its thick, dark skin helped keep the grapes intact during long, cross-country rail shipments to home winemakers back East. During Prohibition (1919-1933) male heads of households were permitted to make up to 200 gallons of wine for home use, a provision that created tremendous demand around the country for winemaking grapes.
The Bargetto family’s story reflects in many ways the history of Italians in California, with several themes threaded throughout: multiple migrations between Italy and America, opportunity and work in the wine industry, and the importance of family and community. The first Bargettos to arrive in California were Giuseppe (Joseph) and his eldest son Filippo (Philip), who left their ancestral home in Italy’s Piedmont region, in 1890. They settled among other Italians in the winegrowing area around Mountain View, in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where they found work at the Casa Delmas Winery. Although Joseph moved back to Italy two years later, Philip remained until 1902, when he returned to Italy to be married. Three years later Philip and his new family arrived back in California, settling first in San Francisco, then, with remarkable prescience, to Mountain View just before the devastating earthquake and fire in 1906.
In 1909, back in San Francisco, the Bargettos opened their first family winery on Montgomery Avenue. Philip’s uncle Giovanni (John) arrived from Italy and, with a third partner, Alberto Colombo, they formed the South Montebello Vineyard and Wine Co., where they fermented, aged, and delivered barrels of wine to local restaurants. The next member of the family to arrive from Italy was Philip’s younger brother, also named Giovanni (John P.), who went to work in a San Francisco restaurant. After two years and suffering from exhaustion, he moved to the Santa Cruz Mountains, where he was joined by his sisters Angelina and Maddalena, both of whom married Italian immigrants. The growing Bargetto family became part of an expanding community of Italian Americans in the town of Soquel.
As Prohibition loomed, the Bargettos closed the San Francisco winery and moved to Soquel in 1917, where they purchased the site of what became the family’s winery after Repeal. Here they began making wine for home use by family and friends. To keep themselves financially afloat during Prohibition’s dry years, the family peddled vegetables and also served meals out of their home on weekends. Customers who wanted a glass of wine with their meal, a longstanding Italian tradition, were served wine from barrels stored in the cellar.
After Prohibition was repealed in 1933, the Bargettos applied for federal bonding, and officially became Bonded Winery 3859. The two brothers, Philip and John P., ran the winery together until Philip’s death in 1936; through the 1940s and 1950s, John P. held the company together with help from his sons Ralph and Lawrence, who took the lead in the 1970s and 1980s.
The winery was still family-owned in 2014, when artifacts associated with the early years of the Bargetto family’s winery were donated to the museum. The donor, John E. Bargetto, with his brother and sister, are the third generation of Bargettos to operate the family’s wine business in the Central Coast region of California.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1930s
ID Number
2014.3130.02
catalog number
2014.3130.02
nonaccession number
2014.3130

Ceramic Relish Dish

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1951
date designed
c.1939
date made
c.1950
ca. 1939
date produced
1947
date designed
c. 1939
designer
Kogan, Belle
maker
Red Wing Potteries, Inc.
ID Number
1993.0234.03
catalog number
1993.0234.03
accession number
1993.0234

Raspberry Shortcake

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1930s
maker
Keppler, Victor
ID Number
PG.006261.S
accession number
238737
catalog number
6261S

"Toastmaster Hospitality" Toast Cutter

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1935 - 1936
maker
McGraw Electric Co.
ID Number
1989.0308.02
catalog number
1989.0308.02
accession number
1989.0308

Rolling Pin

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1900 - 1930
ID Number
DL.64.0509
catalog number
64.0509
accession number
251849

Teaspoon

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1900 - 1935
ID Number
DL.252318.0046
catalog number
252318.0046
accession number
252318

Combination Roaster, Canner and Top Stove Oven

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1933
patent date for lifting rack
1927-05-31
patent date for hinged pan handles
1931-01-13
maker
Wear-Ever Aluminum
Aluminum Cooking Utensil Company
ID Number
1985.0747.03
accession number
1985.0747
catalog number
1985.0747.03

Dinner Knife

Dinner or table knife having a single-swedge New French blade with integral single-groove ("Yankee") bolster and flat, rounded-end French ivory handle. Blade front etched "WM. A. ROGERS. / SPOTLESS” in serif letters.Currently not on view
Description
Dinner or table knife having a single-swedge New French blade with integral single-groove ("Yankee") bolster and flat, rounded-end French ivory handle. Blade front etched "WM. A. ROGERS. / SPOTLESS” in serif letters.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1920 - 1930
ID Number
1986.0531.078
accession number
1986.0531
catalog number
1986.0531.078

Utensil Rack

Wall-mounted metal strip, bent back along its top and bottom, with seven shallow hooks for hanging kitchen tools and two countersunk holes at ends for screws (one screw remains).
Description
Wall-mounted metal strip, bent back along its top and bottom, with seven shallow hooks for hanging kitchen tools and two countersunk holes at ends for screws (one screw remains). From an 8-piece cooking utensil set in original box, missing one spoon (1987.3086.1-7, .9).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1930s
maker
Automatic Wire Goods Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1987.3086.7
nonaccession number
1987.3086
catalog number
1987.3086.7

Fresh From Market

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1935
maker
Fletcher, Christine B.
ID Number
PG.004161B.15
catalog number
4161B.15
accession number
152565

Woman Preparing Cake Roll

A Nickolas Muray dye transfer photograph of the interior of a house and woman in blue dress preparing a cake roll. For McCall's Magazine Homemaking cover ca. 1938.Recto: Signed by artist in lower right (pencil). Verso: Muray label. Two Muray stamps.
Description (Brief)
A Nickolas Muray dye transfer photograph of the interior of a house and woman in blue dress preparing a cake roll. For McCall's Magazine Homemaking cover ca. 1938.
Recto: Signed by artist in lower right (pencil). Verso: Muray label. Two Muray stamps. "McCall Mag - Homemaking Cover" (black marker). "1938" (pencil).
Description
Nickolas Muray was born in Szeged, Hungary on February 15, 1892. Twelve years after his birth, Muray left his native town and enrolled in a graphic arts school in Budapest. Enrolling in art school was the first step on a road that would eventually lead him to study a photographic printing process called three-color carbro. In the course of his accomplished career, Muray would become an expert in this process and play a key role in bringing color photography to America.
While attending art school in Budapest, Muray studied lithography and photoengraving, earning an International Engraver's Certificate. Muray was also introduced to photography during this time period. His combined interest in photography and printmaking led him to Berlin, Germany to participate in a three-year color-photoengraving course. In Berlin, Muray learned how to make color filters, a first step in the craft that would one day become his trademark. Immediately after the completion of the course, Muray found a good job with a publishing company in Ullstein, Germany. However, the threat of war in Europe forced Muray to flee for America in 1913. Soon after his arrival in New York, Muray was working as a photoengraver for Condé Nast. His specialty was color separations and half-tone negatives.
By 1920, Muray had established a home for himself in the up-and-coming artists' haven of Greenwich Village. He opened a portrait studio out of his apartment and continued to work part time at his engraving job. Harper's Bazaar magazine gave Muray his first big assignment in 1921. The project was to photograph Broadway star Florence Reed. The magazine was so impressed with his photographs that they began to publish his work monthly. This allowed him to give up his part time job and work solely as a photographer. It did not take long for Muray to become one of the most renowned portrait photographers in Manhattan. Muray spent much of the early 1920s photographing the most famous and important personalities in New York at the time.
In his spare time Muray enjoyed fencing. In 1927, he won the National Sabre Championship and in 1928 and 1932, he was on the United States Olympic Team. During World War II, Muray was a flight lieutenant in the Civil Air Patrol.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1938
maker
Muray, Nickolas
ID Number
PG.69.247.16
catalog number
69.247.16
accession number
287542

Pepper

Mounted gelatin silver print of Edward Weston's Pepper, 1930. The photograph shows a bell pepper resting on a curved surface with dramatic lighting.
Description (Brief)
Mounted gelatin silver print of Edward Weston's Pepper, 1930. The photograph shows a bell pepper resting on a curved surface with dramatic lighting. The photograph was printed by Edward's son Cole Weston from his father's original negative.
Edward Weston was influential in the modern photography movement beginning in the 1930s. He is well known for photographing the natural surroundings of his home on the California coast. Weston created striking works of art, some abstract, some more traditional images. A leader in American photography of the 20th century, Weston's prints were first exhibited at the Smithsonian in 1947. Afterwards, he remained interested in the national photography collection. At times, Weston recommended photographers to curators for collecting opportunities, and eventually donated a selection of his work and several cameras to the Photographic History Collection.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1930
maker - negative
Weston, Edward
maker - print
Weston, Cole
ID Number
PG.69.137.03
catalog number
69.137.3
accession number
288850

Girl eating hot dog and drinking beer

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
before 1939
maker
Keppler, Victor
ID Number
PG.006263.S
catalog number
6263S
accession number
238737

Pancakes

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1930s
maker
Keppler, Victor
ID Number
PG.006261.EE
accession number
238737
catalog number
6261EE

Casserole (Baking Dish) with Stand

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1923 - 1939
ID Number
1992.0338.37
accession number
1992.0338
catalog number
1992.0338.37

Electric Sandwich Toaster

Electric sandwich toaster or grill. Chrome-plated metal body, flat, rectangular top on four straight legs with flared, geometric drape-style ornament, incised with linear decoration. Squares of black Masonite attached to interior of each foot.
Description
Electric sandwich toaster or grill. Chrome-plated metal body, flat, rectangular top on four straight legs with flared, geometric drape-style ornament, incised with linear decoration. Squares of black Masonite attached to interior of each foot. Two flat grill-tops, open grates, each with black bakelite handles on either end, Art Deco “skyscraper” style, and connected on one long side, clamshell style. Grills have attached arm which allows them to “flip” sides. Grills sit atop base, which has an open heating unit: metal coils strung through ceramic plugs. Entire body and grill sides are incised with scroll motifs and interlocking diamond bands. Two prongs to attach power cord in front, cord missing. Plug hood is debossed: “Sunbeam/NO. 4/PAT. NO. 1465007/VOLTS 110-120 WATTS 660”.
Patent:
US 1465007 A, August 14, 1923, Ernest Sjolin, assignor to Chicago Flexible Shaft Company, for “Electric toaster”
Another version of this toaster was also sold with the same ornamentation on the body, but with fluted Doric columns for legs (see 1992.0338.49)
Patent is held by assignor to Chicago Flexible Shaft Co.; maker is Sunbeam Corporation, Chicago, Illinois, originally founded in the early 1890s as Chicago Flexible Shaft Co. by John K. Stewart and Thomas J. Clark, primarily manufacturing mechanical horse clippers and sheep shearers. In 1946 Chicago Flexible Shaft Co. became Sunbeam Corporation.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1939
maker
Sunbeam Corporation
ID Number
1992.0338.21
catalog number
1992.0338.21
accession number
1992.0338

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.