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

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1930s
1940 - 1950
ID Number
1992.3069.02
catalog number
1992.3069.02
nonaccession number
1992.3069
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c. 1930-1940
ID Number
1992.0338.24
catalog number
1992.0338.24
accession number
1992.0338
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1911
ID Number
1992.0338.20
accession number
1992.0338
catalog number
1992.0338.20
The quest for the perfect slice of toast led to many innovations in toaster engineering and design.
Description
The quest for the perfect slice of toast led to many innovations in toaster engineering and design. A September 1930 Ladies’ Home Journal advertisement proclaimed this Hotpoint single-slice electric toaster produced “Golden brown slices of scientifically caramelized goodness” as well as being “the most beautifully designed toaster in over twenty-six years of electric appliance leadership.” Hotpoint was a British appliance company founded in 1911. In the 1920s, through a joint venture with General Electric, the two companies began to make electric toasters for homes in both England and the United States.
Electric toasters, which did not gain real popularity until the late 1920s, were often a symbol of modernism. The toaster’s “Art Deco” styling was a combination of many different art movements of the time. It used geometric shapes and unusual, modern materials to create a new, “modern” aesthetic that became increasingly popular until the great depression.
date made
ca 1932
patent date
1925-08-25
maker
Hotpoint Edison General Electric Appliance Company, Inc.
ID Number
1992.0338.16
catalog number
1992.0338.16
accession number
1992.0338
catalog number
1992.338.16
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1908 or later
patent date
1908-01-14
ID Number
DL.380489
catalog number
380489
accession number
153231
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1800
ID Number
DL.380480C
catalog number
380480C
accession number
153231
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1905 or later
patent date
1900-10-09
ID Number
DL.380491C
catalog number
380491C
accession number
153231
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1890 - 1910
ID Number
DL.380485D
catalog number
380485D
accession number
153231
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1923 or later
parent company
International Silver Company
ID Number
DL.380490C
catalog number
380490C
accession number
153231
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1923 or later
parent company
International Silver Company
ID Number
DL.380490F
catalog number
380490F
accession number
153231
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1923 or later
parent company
International Silver Company
ID Number
DL.380490D
catalog number
380490D
accession number
153231
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1890 - 1910
ID Number
DL.380485E
catalog number
380485E
accession number
153231
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1905 or later
patent date
1900-10-09
ID Number
DL.380491B
catalog number
380491B
accession number
153231
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1800
ID Number
DL.380480B
catalog number
380480B
accession number
153231
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1923 or later
parent company
International Silver Company
ID Number
DL.380490B
catalog number
380490B
accession number
153231
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1905 or later
patent date
1900-10-09
ID Number
DL.380491F
catalog number
380491F
accession number
153231
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1800
ID Number
DL.380480D
catalog number
380480D
accession number
153231
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1923 or later
parent company
International Silver Company
ID Number
DL.380490E
catalog number
380490E
accession number
153231
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1923 or later
parent company
International Silver Company
ID Number
DL.380490A
catalog number
380490A
accession number
153231
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1800
ID Number
DL.380480E
catalog number
380480E
accession number
153231
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1905 or later
patent date
1900-10-09
ID Number
DL.380491D
catalog number
380491D
accession number
153231
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1890 - 1910
ID Number
DL.380485B
catalog number
380485B
accession number
153231
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1890 - 1910
ID Number
DL.380485F
catalog number
380485F
accession number
153231
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1890 - 1910
ID Number
DL.380485C
catalog number
380485C
accession number
153231

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