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

Place: United States

Teaspoon

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1905 or later
patent date
1900-10-09
ID Number
DL.380491A
catalog number
380491A
accession number
153231

mold, gelatin

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
20th century
maker
Jell-O Company
ID Number
1987.0160.02A
accession number
1987.0160
catalog number
1987.0160.02A

Boys and produce in marketplace

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1890s
maker
Johnston, Frances B.
ID Number
2000.0007.183
catalog number
2000.0007.183
accession number
2000.0007

Oyster Plate

Porcelain factories responded to the American passion for oysters by designing special plates on which to serve the delicacy, accompanied by silver-plated forks also designed for the purpose.
Description
Porcelain factories responded to the American passion for oysters by designing special plates on which to serve the delicacy, accompanied by silver-plated forks also designed for the purpose. During the long and lavish dinners characteristic of evening entertainment among the wealthy on the East Coast in the 1870s and 1880s, guests were frequently served their first course on oyster plates such as these gilded examples produced by the Union Porcelain Works, in Greenpoint, New York, around 1881. American and European porcelain factories met increasing affluence and elaborate dining etiquette with an extensive range of items designed for specific foods and beverages. Oyster plates represent one such refinement in response to a newly acquired taste for the shellfish.
date made
About 1881
about 1881
maker
Union Porcelain Works
ID Number
CE.75.123E
catalog number
75.123E
accession number
317832

Wax Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side originally contained Parowax, made by the Standard Oil Company of New York during the early 20th century.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side originally contained Parowax, made by the Standard Oil Company of New York during the early 20th century. Parowax was Standard Oil’s proprietary name for paraffin wax that could be “used for sealing Jelly Glasses, Fruit Jars, Bottles, etc.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Standard Oil Company of New York
ID Number
1979.0441.305
catalog number
1979.0441.305
accession number
1979.0441

Chemical Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side originally contained embalming fluid manufactured by the Dodge Chemical Company of Boston, Massachusetts during the early 20th century. The Dodge Chemical Company was founded in 1893 by A.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side originally contained embalming fluid manufactured by the Dodge Chemical Company of Boston, Massachusetts during the early 20th century. The Dodge Chemical Company was founded in 1893 by A. Johnson Dodge, who also established a permanent embalming school called the New England Institute of Anatomy, Sanitary Science, and Embalming. The Dodge Chemical Company continues to this day as a manufacturer of embalming fluids.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Dodge Chemical Company
ID Number
1979.0441.361
catalog number
1979.0441.361
accession number
1979.0441

Herb Vegetable Sauce

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1968-1970
author
Waters, Alice
ID Number
2016.0085.11
accession number
2016.0085
catalog number
2016.0085.11

Apple Crate Label

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 Kershaw brand apple crate label was used by the Kershaw Fruit and Cold Storage Company of Yakima, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label was produced by Stecher-Traung of San Francisco, California. The label has a blue background with a central representation of an apple.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Kershaw Fruit and Cold Storage Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.086
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.086

Microwave Egg Cooker

This red, egg-shaped cooker is made of microwave-safe plastic for use in microwave ovens. It takes no time at all to cook an egg in this device: a mere 30 seconds will cook a soft-boiled egg and 50 seconds will deliver the egg in hard-boiled form.
Description
This red, egg-shaped cooker is made of microwave-safe plastic for use in microwave ovens. It takes no time at all to cook an egg in this device: a mere 30 seconds will cook a soft-boiled egg and 50 seconds will deliver the egg in hard-boiled form. This egg cooker was among the gadgets in Julia Child’s home kitchen, collected by the National Museum of American History in 2001.
Julia Child, the beloved American cooking teacher, cookbook author, and television personality, was a self-described “gadget freak.” She collected kitchen tools throughout her long career and received many gadgets as gifts from friends and colleagues. The origin and actual use of this egg cooker is unknown, but, since Julia’s kitchen did not include a microwave oven in 2001, it is safe to assume she kept the microwave egg cooker for some reason other than to use it for cooking one egg at a time.
date made
ca 1990
maker
Precis Plastic
ID Number
2001.0253.0364
catalog number
2001.0253.0364
accession number
2001.0253

Luncheon Knife

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1881 - 1898
patent date
1881-05-03
maker
Simpson, Hall, Miller, and Co.
ID Number
DL.68.0464B
catalog number
68.0464B
accession number
274913

Apple Crate Label

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

Tugboat Ice Cream Mold

This tugboat-shaped mold is one of 14 pewter ice cream molds donated to the Museum in 1972 by the wholesale distribution company Foremost-McKesson, Inc., of San Francisco, California.
Description
This tugboat-shaped mold is one of 14 pewter ice cream molds donated to the Museum in 1972 by the wholesale distribution company Foremost-McKesson, Inc., of San Francisco, California. Other forms include a butterfly, a dolphin, a lion, and patriotic symbols such as an eagle, Uncle Sam, the Liberty Bell, and George Washington in profile.
Molded ice cream was a popular treat in the United States from the 1870s to 1950s, with a boom in ice cream consumption driving increases in mold manufacturing between 1921 and 1925. The Eighteenth Amendment, prohibiting the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages from 1920 until it was repealed in 1933, sparked an increase in consumer demand for such things as soft drinks, ice cream, and confections. Indeed, ice cream consumption increased by over 100 million gallons between 1921 and 1929.
Like the majority of the molds in the collection, the boat was manufactured by Eppelsheimer & Co. of New York, one of the three largest American ice cream mold manufacturers at the time. These hinged molds, dating from the 1920s and 30s, while still functional, can no longer be used due to the lead content in the pewter.
The exterior of the mold is stamped with the company’s initials “E & Co” and its product number in the Eppelsheimer & Co. catalog, number “986.” While the mold’s exterior is otherwise nondescript, the interior, where the ice cream was poured and frozen, depicts the boat’s siding and port holes as well as the swirling waves of sea in fine detail. Once frozen, ice cream makers could embellish their confections by painting on a layer of food coloring. These individual molded ice creams would then be served on special occasions or holidays. As American holidays became more commercialized in the early twentieth century, the demand for variety in ice cream molds increased, as is apparent in the collection. However, technological advancements in ice cream manufacturing, the development of ice cream novelties such as the Eskimo Pie and the Popsicle, and the advent of packaged ice creams available in groceries, transformed ice cream in the eye of the American public from a seasonal or specialty dish into an everyday treat. As such, molded ice creams fell out of fashion by the 1950s.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Eppelsheimer & Co.
ID Number
AG.72A1.8
catalog number
72A1.8
accession number
298969

Cream Ladle

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1922
date received
1922
ID Number
1977.0729.04
accession number
1977.0729
catalog number
1977.0729.04

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

Boxed Set of Child's Flatware

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1950
Date made
DELETE
maker
Oneida Ltd.
ID Number
1987.0492.1D
catalog number
1987.0492.1D
accession number
1987.0492

Teaspoon

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1888 - 1900
owner; user
Washington, Mary Anne Hammond
maker
Gorham Manufacturing Company
ID Number
DL.60.1006A
catalog number
60.1006A
accession number
71656

Pastry Server (Pie Knife)

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1870 - 1875
design patent date
1870-11-15
maker
Tiffany & Co.
ID Number
DL.61.0330
catalog number
61.0330
accession number
200122

Pickled Ginger Container

A jar of sushi pickled ginger “gari,” (term for ginger when associated with sushi) with the AFC Corp.
Description
A jar of sushi pickled ginger “gari,” (term for ginger when associated with sushi) with the AFC Corp. brand label, provided an ample supply for an individual or family to keep on-hand at home to supplement their sushi take-out.
A mound of lightly colored pink or yellow pickled ginger, along with a small spoonful of wasabi, is typically presented with sushi. Eating pickled ginger in between different types of sushi helps to cleanse an individual’s palate for the next sushi selection. The Japanese term “gari” mimics the sound that is produced when pickled ginger is being consumed.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1980s
maker
Advanced Fresh Concepts Franchise Corp.
ID Number
2012.3099.20
catalog number
2012.3099.20
nonaccession number
2012.3099

Julia Child's Handwritten Recipe

This handwritten recipe for pain de mie, or French sandwich bread, is from the kitchen of cookbook author and television chef Julia Child.Trained at the Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris, Child brought the taste and techniques of traditional French cuisine into American homes.
Description
This handwritten recipe for pain de mie, or French sandwich bread, is from the kitchen of cookbook author and television chef Julia Child.
Trained at the Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris, Child brought the taste and techniques of traditional French cuisine into American homes. Her first series, The French Chef, premiered on Boston public television in 1962. Over her forty-year career, she produced numerous cookbooks and television shows, including three filmed in her own kitchen in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 2001, Child donated her famous kitchen to the Smithsonian.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Stuart Hall
ID Number
2001.0253.0030
accession number
2001.0253
catalog number
2001.0253.0030

Pineapple Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side contained Hawaiian Chief brand sliced pineapple that was packed by the Pearl City Fruit Company Ltd., of Honolulu, Hawaii during the early 20th century.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side contained Hawaiian Chief brand sliced pineapple that was packed by the Pearl City Fruit Company Ltd., of Honolulu, Hawaii during the early 20th century. George Lycurgus founded the Pearl City Fruit Company in 1892, and competed with the Hawaiian Fruit and Packing company for packing and shipping pineapples. This crate contained four dozen 11-ounce tins.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Pearl City Fruit Co. Ltd.
ID Number
1979.0441.263
catalog number
1979.0441.263
accession number
1979.0441

Coffeepot

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1890 - 1910
ID Number
DL.67.0366
catalog number
67.0366
accession number
263810

Porringer

Basin-bowl porringer with beaded rim and flat bottom with foot ring; integrally cast Pennsylvania-type solid tab handle without bracket is stamped "[H?] H" in incuse serif letters on front flanking a large pierced hole at top center. No other marks.Currently not on view
Description
Basin-bowl porringer with beaded rim and flat bottom with foot ring; integrally cast Pennsylvania-type solid tab handle without bracket is stamped "[H?] H" in incuse serif letters on front flanking a large pierced hole at top center. No other marks.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1780 - 1800
ID Number
1986.0027.88
catalog number
1986.0027.88
accession number
1986.0027

Child's Spoon

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1850
maker
Bailey and Company
ID Number
DL.65.1437C
catalog number
65.1437C
accession number
70138

Tupperware® "Wonderlier Bowl"

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1954
maker
Tupperware
ID Number
1985.3014.01
catalog number
1985.3014.01
nonaccession number
1985.3014

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.