Food

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

This Chere Best brand apple crate label was used by the Columbia Fruit Packers Inc. of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The label was lithographed by Stecher-Traung of San Francisco, California.
Description (Brief)
This Chere Best brand apple crate label was used by the Columbia Fruit Packers Inc. of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The label was lithographed by Stecher-Traung of San Francisco, California. These apples came from the Wenatchee Valley region of Washington, which is colloquially known as the “Apple Capital of the World.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Columbia Fruit Packers, Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.112
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.112
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 Rose brand apple crate label was used by J.M.
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 Rose brand apple crate label was used by J.M. Wade of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. This label was lithographed by the Ridgway Lithograph Company of Seattle, Washington. The label has a blue background with an illustration of two large red roses in the center. These apples came from Wenatchee, part of a region that claimed to be the “Apple Capital of the World.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
J. M. Wade
ID Number
1979.0441.126
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.126
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 Dainty Maid brand apple crate label was used by H.S.
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 Dainty Maid brand apple crate label was used by H.S. Denison & Company of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label has a red background and a central illustration of a pretty young girl with ruddy cheeks. Fruit labels often used depict images of healthy young children to promote the health benefits of apples.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
H. S. Denison & Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.061
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.061
Labels are an important marketing device.
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 Luxor brand apple crate label was used by the Fruit Growers Service Company of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The label was lithographed by the Ridgway Lithograph Company of Seattle, Washington. The label has a blue background with a blue and yellow geometric stripe across the middle with a large red cross in the center.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Fruit Growers Service Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.114
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.114
Labels are an important marketing device.
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 Clipper Ship brand apple crate label was used by the Wells and Wade Fruit Company of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label has a red background with an illustration of the clipper ship Erskine M. Phelps sailing over a dark blue ocean.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Wells and Wade Fruit Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.075
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.075
Labels are an important marketing device.
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 North Country brand apple crate label was used by Stadelman Fruit, Inc. of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label has a red background with yellow text, and an illustration of three apples on the right hand side.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Stadelman Fruit, Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.040
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.040
Labels are an important marketing device.
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 Blue T brand apple crate label was used by the Northern Fruit Company of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label had a blue background with three dimensional block lettering. Wenatchee, Washington was well known for its apple production, and claimed to be the “Apple Capital of the World.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Northern Fruit Co. Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.085
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.085
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 Sails brand apple crate label was used by Fruit Sales, Inc.
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 Sails brand apple crate label was used by Fruit Sales, Inc. of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The label was lithographed by the Ridgway Lithograph Company of Seattle, Washington. The label has a blue background, with the illustration of a small sailboat in a choppy blue sea. Wenatchee, Washington was one of the largest apple producing regions in the United States, an area that claimed to be the “Apple Capital of the World.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Fruit Sales, Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.097
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.097
Labels are an important marketing device.
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 Hi Buy All brand apple crate label was used by the Butler trading Company of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label was produced by the Spokane Lithography Company of Spokane, Washington. The blue label features an illustration of two red apples on the branch in the center, promoting the idea of fresh and tasty produce inside.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Butler Trading Co., Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.046
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.046
Labels are an important marketing device.
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 Silver Spur brand apple crate label was in use by the Joseph Northwest Company of Yakima-Wenatchee, Washington. The label has a red background with a yellow rim and a central logo that reads “Silver Spur” written in a type that looks like rope over an image of a silver spur. The Yakima-Wenatchee region of Washington was well known for its apple production during this time and called itself the “Apple Capital of the World.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Joseph Northwest
ID Number
1979.0441.051
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.051
Labels are an important marketing device.
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 apple crate label was used by Spark’s Orchards during the beginning of the 20th century. Spark’s Orchards was based in Wenatchee, Washington, a region that was well known for its apple production, especially in the early 1900s.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Sparks Orchards
ID Number
1979.0441.010
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.010
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 Jim Wade brand apple crate label was used by the J.M.
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 Jim Wade brand apple crate label was used by the J.M. Wade Packer and Shipper of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The label was lithographed by Stecher-Traung of San Francisco, California. The label has a black background with a red stripe down the center. These apples came from the Wenatchee Valley region of Washington, which claimed to be the “Apple Capital of the World.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
J. M. Wade
ID Number
1979.0441.117
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.117
Labels are an important marketing device.
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 Service brand apple crate label was used by the Trunkey-Wolfe Fruit Company, Inc. of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label was produced by the Ridgway Lithography Company of Seattle, Washington. The green label has a red rim with a large rainbow in the center. The label advertises the apples as Wenatchee district apples. The Wenatchee Valley region is famous for its apple production, and claimed to be the “Apple Capital of the World.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Trunkey-Wolfe Fruit Co., Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.037
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.037
Labels are an important marketing device.
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 Highland Fruits brand apple crate label was used by the Highland Fruits Company of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The label was lithographed by the Ridgway Lithograph Company of Seattle, Washington. The label has a red plaid background, with the text “Highland Fruits” in three-dimensional font. These apples came from Wenatchee, part of a region that claimed to be the “Apple Capital of the World.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Highland Fruits Company
ID Number
1979.0441.121
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.121
Labels are an important marketing device.
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 Headline brand apple crate label was used by Standard Fruits Inc. of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The label has a dark background, with an inset illustration of a young boy cupping his hand over his mouth and shouting, and various newspapers with headlines that read “All About Northwest Apples,” “Northwest Apples are Here!” and “Apple for Health!” The Northwest apple growing region would often advertise their apples by touting their health benefits, especially for young children.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Standard Fruits, Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.073
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.073
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 Denison’s Crest brand apple crate label was used by H.S.
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 Denison’s Crest brand apple crate label was used by H.S. Denison & Company of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label has a dark blue background with yellow text, and a crest that incorporates an apple, an oil lamp, and a thistle. There is a banner underneath that reads “Quality and Service.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
H. S. Denison & Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.064
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.064
Labels are an important marketing device.
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 Blue Mountain brand apple crate label was used by Mojonnier and Sons Inc. of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The label has an illustration of rolling fields of crops that are different colors among pine trees with mountains rising up in the orange sky in the background, with a golden apple and a red apple in the foreground. These apples are from Wenatchee, Washington, which claimed to be the “Apple Capital of the World.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Mojonnier & Sons Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.136
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.136
Labels are an important marketing device.
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 Hesperian brand apple crate label was used by Myron Foster during the early 20th century. The label was lithographed by the Schmidt Lithograph Company of Seattle, Washington. The label has an orange background with the image of a blue woman holding a golden apple. In Greek mythology, Hesperides were three nymphs, daughters of Hesperus (the Evening Star), who guarded Hera’s garden and its immortality-granting golden apples. Hesperian also means “relating to the West,” a very apt brand name for these Wenatchee, Washington apples.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Myron Foster's Hesperian Orchards
ID Number
1979.0441.137
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.137
This Skookum brand apple crate was in use by the Northwestern Fruit Growers Association of Seattle, Washington, in the early 20th century.
Description (Brief)
This Skookum brand apple crate was in use by the Northwestern Fruit Growers Association of Seattle, Washington, in the early 20th century. Skookum was a Chinook word denoting “excellence.” Native American imagery was frequently depicted on the crate labels of various fruit distributors to evoke the idea of rich, natural produce. The Lake Chelan label insert on this crate was a way for growers to maintain their product identity while benefiting from being in a large cooperative.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Skookum Packers Association
ID Number
1979.0441.087
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.087
Labels are an important marketing device.
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 Hi Sea brand apple crate label was is use by Washington Sales, Inc. of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The label was lithographed by the Schmidt L. Company of Seattle, Washington. The label features an image of two seagulls soaring over a green-blue ocean, with a red apple and a golden apple hanging from a branch on the right hand side of the label. Washington Sales, Inc. was a grower co-operative in Wenatchee.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Washington Sales, Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.036
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.036
Labels are an important marketing device.
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 Blue Larkspur brand apple crate label was used by the Heller Brothers Company Inc. of Wenatchee, Washington after 1928. The lithographed label was produced by Crocker-Union of Seattle, Washington. The blue label features an image of the stallion Blue Larkspur wreathed in flowers on the left of the label. Blue Larkspur was a race horse who competed from 1928-1930, and was named the American Horse of the Year in 1929.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Heller Bros. Co., Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.026
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.026
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 Nuchief brand apple crate label was in use from 1900-1950.
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 Nuchief brand apple crate label was in use from 1900-1950. The lithographed label was produced by the Schmidt L. Company of Seattle, Washington. The label has an image of a young Native American boy wearing a headdress and carrying an apple and a hatchet. There is a Smith’s Treat brand label insert on the label. These apples were grown by Smith Orchards of Pateros, Washington and distributed by Nuchief Sales, Inc. Growers, packers, and distributors in the Northwest banded together in co-operatives to secure the best price for their produce and compete with growers in other regions.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Nuchief Sales Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.077
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.077
Labels are an important marketing device.
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 Hi Buy All brand apple crate label was used by the Butler Trading Company, Inc. of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed yellow label features an image of two large red apples on the branch. These apples came from Wenatchee, Washington which claimed to be the “Apple Capital of the World.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Fruit Growers Service Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.027
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.027
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 See! See!
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 See! See! Brand apple crate label was used by Washington Sales, Inc., of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label was produced by the Schmidt L. Company of Seattle, Washington. The label features an illustration of a boy with oversized head holding an oversized apple on a beach. This label promoted the health benefits of eating apples, showing that eating apples led to healthy, ruddy children.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Washington Sales, Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.018
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.018

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