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

Resource Type: Photographs

Man walking into Pizza Shop

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Zalesky, Roy Joseph
ID Number
2017.0306.0069
catalog number
2017.0306.0069
accession number
2017.0306

Picnic in the woods

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.0037.0056
accession number
2017.0037
catalog number
2017.0037.0056

Lisa Law and baby Baba

With her camera, Lisa Law documented history in the heart of the counterculture revolution of the 1960s as she lived it, as a participant, an agent of change and a member of the broader culture.
Description
With her camera, Lisa Law documented history in the heart of the counterculture revolution of the 1960s as she lived it, as a participant, an agent of change and a member of the broader culture. She recorded this unconventional time of Anti-War demonstrations in California, communes, Love-Ins, peace marches and concerts, as well as her family life as she became a wife and mother. The photographs were collected by William Yeingst and Shannon Perich in a cross-unit collecting collaboration. Together they selected over two hundred photographs relevant to photographic history, cultural history, domestic life and social history.
Law’s portraiture and concert photographs include Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Lovin Spoonful and Peter, Paul and Mary. She also took several of Janis Joplin and her band Big Brother and the Holding Company, including the photograph used to create the poster included in the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum’s exhibition 1001 Days and Nights in American Art. Law and other members of the Hog Farm were involved in the logistics of setting up the well-known musical extravaganza, Woodstock. Her photographs include the teepee poles going into the hold of the plane, a few concert scenes and amenities like the kitchen and medical tent. Other photographs include peace rallies and concerts in Haight-Ashbury, Coretta Scott King speaking at an Anti-War protest and portraits of Allen Ginsburg and Timothy Leary. From her life in New Mexico the photographs include yoga sessions with Yogi Bhajan, bus races, parades and other public events. From life on the New Buffalo Commune, there are many pictures of her family and friends taken during meal preparation and eating, farming, building, playing, giving birth and caring for children.
Ms. Law did not realize how important her photographs were while she was taking them. It was not until after she divorced her husband, left the farm for Santa Fe and began a career as a photographer that she realized the depth of history she recorded. Today, she spends her time writing books, showing her photographs in museums all over the United States and making documentaries. In 1990, her video documentary, “Flashing on the Sixties,” won several awards.
A selection of photographs was featured in the exhibition A Visual Journey: Photographs by Lisa Law, 1964–1971, at the National Museum of American History October 1998-April 1999.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1969
date printed
1998
maker
Mauney, Michael
ID Number
1998.0139.175
accession number
1998.0139
catalog number
1998.0139.175

Pouring Milk

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Mortensen, William
ID Number
PG.004746.6
accession number
194219
catalog number
4746.6

Hot Dog Fans

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2005
date printed
2010
maker
Raab, Susana
ID Number
2018.0016.0007
accession number
2018.0016
catalog number
2018.0016.0007

Still life with silver-top decanter

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1930s-1950s
maker
Keppler, Victor
ID Number
PG.006261.L
catalog number
6261L
accession number
238737

Children at dinner table

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1907
ID Number
2017.0219.0019
accession number
2017.0219
catalog number
2017.0219.0019

Sushi Bar Photograph, 2001

The color photograph from 1991 shows the supermarket display counter for the sushi products of the Advanced Fresh Concepts Corporation. Above the counter is a red banner with a bold “SUSHI” printed in the center.
Description
The color photograph from 1991 shows the supermarket display counter for the sushi products of the Advanced Fresh Concepts Corporation. Above the counter is a red banner with a bold “SUSHI” printed in the center. The pre-packaged products are displayed in an open refrigerated space. Underneath the “special new items” section on the left part of the display are several pre-packaged rolls. To the right are other pre-packaged sushi products, holding a variety of rolls and a few nigiri. Containers of wasabi and gari (ginger) are lined up behind the pre-packaged sushi products. The clear glass coolers directly above hold a variety of fresh raw fish. The signs placed on the counter illustrate the variety of sushi that can be prepared behind the counter for orders.
In the photo, the employee is wearing a red and white AFC uniform which consists of a white and red collared top, red and white cap, and a red bib-style apron. Though the refrigerated area holds plenty of pre-packaged sushi that are available for immediate purchase, the sushi chef is there to satisfy special orders that are not available in the pre-packaged selection and guarantees that they are freshly made. The sushi chef stands behind the bar and prepares the sushi in a space that is visible to the curious customers. If a certain pre-packaged product is running low, the sushi chef assures that more are made. With a systematic management and training process, AFC is able to maintain consistency in their products regardless of store location and employee. The sushi bar is typically managed by one or two employees.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1991
maker
Kodak Corp.
ID Number
2012.0182.13a
accession number
2012.0182
catalog number
2012.0182.13a

Young Child with Basket of Vegetables

With her camera, Lisa Law documented history in the heart of the counterculture revolution of the 1960s as she lived it, as a participant, an agent of change and a member of the broader culture.
Description
With her camera, Lisa Law documented history in the heart of the counterculture revolution of the 1960s as she lived it, as a participant, an agent of change and a member of the broader culture. She recorded this unconventional time of Anti-War demonstrations in California, communes, Love-Ins, peace marches and concerts, as well as her family life as she became a wife and mother. The photographs were collected by William Yeingst and Shannon Perich in a cross-unit collecting collaboration. Together they selected over two hundred photographs relevant to photographic history, cultural history, domestic life and social history.
Law’s portraiture and concert photographs include Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Lovin Spoonful and Peter, Paul and Mary. She also took several of Janis Joplin and her band Big Brother and the Holding Company, including the photograph used to create the poster included in the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum’s exhibition 1001 Days and Nights in American Art. Law and other members of the Hog Farm were involved in the logistics of setting up the well-known musical extravaganza, Woodstock. Her photographs include the teepee poles going into the hold of the plane, a few concert scenes and amenities like the kitchen and medical tent. Other photographs include peace rallies and concerts in Haight-Ashbury, Coretta Scott King speaking at an Anti-War protest and portraits of Allen Ginsburg and Timothy Leary. From her life in New Mexico the photographs include yoga sessions with Yogi Bhajan, bus races, parades and other public events. From life on the New Buffalo Commune, there are many pictures of her family and friends taken during meal preparation and eating, farming, building, playing, giving birth and caring for children.
Ms. Law did not realize how important her photographs were while she was taking them. It was not until after she divorced her husband, left the farm for Santa Fe and began a career as a photographer that she realized the depth of history she recorded. Today, she spends her time writing books, showing her photographs in museums all over the United States and making documentaries. In 1990, her video documentary, “Flashing on the Sixties,” won several awards.
A selection of photographs was featured in the exhibition A Visual Journey: Photographs by Lisa Law, 1964–1971, at the National Museum of American History October 1998-April 1999.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1972
date printed
1998
maker
Law, Lisa Bachelis
ID Number
1998.0139.190
accession number
1998.0139
catalog number
1998.0139.190

Family Harvesting Pumpkins

With her camera, Lisa Law documented history in the heart of the counterculture revolution of the 1960s as she lived it, as a participant, an agent of change and a member of the broader culture.
Description
With her camera, Lisa Law documented history in the heart of the counterculture revolution of the 1960s as she lived it, as a participant, an agent of change and a member of the broader culture. She recorded this unconventional time of Anti-War demonstrations in California, communes, Love-Ins, peace marches and concerts, as well as her family life as she became a wife and mother. The photographs were collected by William Yeingst and Shannon Perich in a cross-unit collecting collaboration. Together they selected over two hundred photographs relevant to photographic history, cultural history, domestic life and social history.
Law’s portraiture and concert photographs include Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Lovin Spoonful and Peter, Paul and Mary. She also took several of Janis Joplin and her band Big Brother and the Holding Company, including the photograph used to create the poster included in the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum’s exhibition 1001 Days and Nights in American Art. Law and other members of the Hog Farm were involved in the logistics of setting up the well-known musical extravaganza, Woodstock. Her photographs include the teepee poles going into the hold of the plane, a few concert scenes and amenities like the kitchen and medical tent. Other photographs include peace rallies and concerts in Haight-Ashbury, Coretta Scott King speaking at an Anti-War protest and portraits of Allen Ginsburg and Timothy Leary. From her life in New Mexico the photographs include yoga sessions with Yogi Bhajan, bus races, parades and other public events. From life on the New Buffalo Commune, there are many pictures of her family and friends taken during meal preparation and eating, farming, building, playing, giving birth and caring for children.
Ms. Law did not realize how important her photographs were while she was taking them. It was not until after she divorced her husband, left the farm for Santa Fe and began a career as a photographer that she realized the depth of history she recorded. Today, she spends her time writing books, showing her photographs in museums all over the United States and making documentaries. In 1990, her video documentary, “Flashing on the Sixties,” won several awards.
A selection of photographs was featured in the exhibition A Visual Journey: Photographs by Lisa Law, 1964–1971, at the National Museum of American History October 1998-April 1999.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1975
date printed
1998
maker
Law, Lisa Bachelis
ID Number
1998.0139.193
accession number
1998.0139
catalog number
1998.0139.193

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

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

popcorn thief

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Heyman, Ken
ID Number
1982.0545.211
accession number
1982.0545.211
catalog number
82.545.211

Tomatoes

A Nickolas Muray 3-color carbro photograph of hands holding three large tomatoes ca. 1940s. Campbell Soup advertisment.Verso: Four Muray stamps. "Campbell Soup Ad" (black pencil). "32" (black pencil).Nickolas Muray was born in Szeged, Hungary on February 15, 1892.
Description (Brief)
A Nickolas Muray 3-color carbro photograph of hands holding three large tomatoes ca. 1940s. Campbell Soup advertisment.
Verso: Four Muray stamps. "Campbell Soup Ad" (black pencil). "32" (black 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
1940s-1950s
commissioner
Campbell Soup Company
maker
Muray, Nickolas
ID Number
PG.69.247.11
catalog number
69.247.11
accession number
287542

Too Long at the Fair

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2004
date printed
2010
maker
Raab, Susana
ID Number
2018.0016.0002
accession number
2018.0016
catalog number
2018.0016.0002

Two people at diner table

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Zalesky, Roy Joseph
ID Number
2017.0306.0051
catalog number
2017.0306.0051
accession number
2017.0306

Loin of Pork

A Nickolas Muray 3-color carbro photograph of uncooked pork loin and produce ca. 1930s-1940s. Advertisment for A&P.Recto: Signed by artist bottom right (pencil). Verso: Muray label. Muray stamp.
Description (Brief)
A Nickolas Muray 3-color carbro photograph of uncooked pork loin and produce ca. 1930s-1940s. Advertisment for A&P.
Recto: Signed by artist bottom right (pencil). Verso: Muray label. Muray stamp. "A&P ad" (black marker).
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
ca 1930s-1940s
maker
Muray, Nickolas
ID Number
PG.69.247.13
catalog number
69.247.13
accession number
287542

Picnic in the grass

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1907
ID Number
2017.0219.0032
accession number
2017.0219
catalog number
2017.0219.0032

group having a picnic

double exposed photographCurrently not on view
Description (Brief)
double exposed photograph
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.0281.0020
accession number
2017.0281
catalog number
2017.0281.0020

Woman drinking coffee

black and white photograph; elderly woman seated at a formica table with her left elbow resting on the tabletop and her left hand cradling her face, cup and saucer are on the table in front of her; stool for a counter in background; seem to be looking through a window at herCurre
Description (Brief)
black and white photograph; elderly woman seated at a formica table with her left elbow resting on the tabletop and her left hand cradling her face, cup and saucer are on the table in front of her; stool for a counter in background; seem to be looking through a window at her
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1983
maker
Zalesky, Roy Joseph
ID Number
2017.0306.0001
catalog number
2017.0306.0001
accession number
2017.0306

Couple Cooking on a Grill near their Camping Tent

Some fans traveled great distances to participate in music festivals, and would camp nearby. This couple brought a grill to make a meal or two.Currently not on view
Description
Some fans traveled great distances to participate in music festivals, and would camp nearby. This couple brought a grill to make a meal or two.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1972
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.097
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.097

Dairy Queen

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
2003
maker
Grace, Arthur
ID Number
2007.0115.01
accession number
2007.0115
catalog number
2007.0115.01

Young Child Making Chipatis

With her camera, Lisa Law documented history in the heart of the counterculture revolution of the 1960s as she lived it, as a participant, an agent of change and a member of the broader culture.
Description
With her camera, Lisa Law documented history in the heart of the counterculture revolution of the 1960s as she lived it, as a participant, an agent of change and a member of the broader culture. She recorded this unconventional time of Anti-War demonstrations in California, communes, Love-Ins, peace marches and concerts, as well as her family life as she became a wife and mother. The photographs were collected by William Yeingst and Shannon Perich in a cross-unit collecting collaboration. Together they selected over two hundred photographs relevant to photographic history, cultural history, domestic life and social history.
Law’s portraiture and concert photographs include Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Lovin Spoonful and Peter, Paul and Mary. She also took several of Janis Joplin and her band Big Brother and the Holding Company, including the photograph used to create the poster included in the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum’s exhibition 1001 Days and Nights in American Art. Law and other members of the Hog Farm were involved in the logistics of setting up the well-known musical extravaganza, Woodstock. Her photographs include the teepee poles going into the hold of the plane, a few concert scenes and amenities like the kitchen and medical tent. Other photographs include peace rallies and concerts in Haight-Ashbury, Coretta Scott King speaking at an Anti-War protest and portraits of Allen Ginsburg and Timothy Leary. From her life in New Mexico the photographs include yoga sessions with Yogi Bhajan, bus races, parades and other public events. From life on the New Buffalo Commune, there are many pictures of her family and friends taken during meal preparation and eating, farming, building, playing, giving birth and caring for children.
Ms. Law did not realize how important her photographs were while she was taking them. It was not until after she divorced her husband, left the farm for Santa Fe and began a career as a photographer that she realized the depth of history she recorded. Today, she spends her time writing books, showing her photographs in museums all over the United States and making documentaries. In 1990, her video documentary, “Flashing on the Sixties,” won several awards.
A selection of photographs was featured in the exhibition A Visual Journey: Photographs by Lisa Law, 1964–1971, at the National Museum of American History October 1998-April 1999.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1969
date printed
1998
maker
Law, Lisa Bachelis
ID Number
1998.0139.174
accession number
1998.0139
catalog number
1998.0139.174

Barbara Bush with bakers at an adult education center

Barbara Bush with bakers at an adult education center in the Brixton section of London, England, June 1, 1989.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Barbara Bush with bakers at an adult education center in the Brixton section of London, England, June 1, 1989.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1989-06-01
depicted (sitter)
Bush, Barbara
maker
Walker, Diana
ID Number
2003.0250.020
catalog number
2003.0250.020
accession number
2003.0250

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