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

Topic: FOOD: Transforming the American Table 1950-2000

Coffee Cup Lid, Pactiv LSF16

This is a Pactiv LSF16 pucker type coffee cup lid. Pucker type lids require the drinker to place his or her mouth over a protrusion with a hole in it. With these lids, the drinker does not drink directly from the cup—mouths do not make contact with the rim of the cup.
Description
This is a Pactiv LSF16 pucker type coffee cup lid. Pucker type lids require the drinker to place his or her mouth over a protrusion with a hole in it. With these lids, the drinker does not drink directly from the cup—mouths do not make contact with the rim of the cup. Instead, one drinks from only the lid.
Architects and collectors Louise Harpman and Scott Specht donated 56 plastic cup lids to the National Museum of American History in 2012. Their donation is a sample from their much larger collection of “independently patented drink-through plastic cup lids,” which they began in 1984 and discussed in a 2005 essay, “Inventory / Peel, Pucker, Pinch, Puncture,” in Cabinet Magazine: http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/19/harpman.php. The collectors’ categorization scheme reflects the primary way the lid design functions, which helps differentiate between the varieties and styles of lids.
Plastic, disposable coffee cup lids and other single-use food packages reinforce the social acceptability of eating and drinking on the go in the United States and reflect increasing expectation for convenience products. Cup lids are also examples of how humble, and even disposable, objects are sometimes the result of meticulous engineering. Patents for lid innovations describe peel-back tabs and the pucker-type shapes that make room for mouths and noses, and describe the nuances of “heat retention,” “mouth comfort,” “splash reduction,” “friction fit,” and “one-handed activation.”
ID Number
2012.3047.27
catalog number
2012.3047.27
nonaccession number
2012.3047

Minute Maid Concentrated Orange Juice Can

This 6-oz. metal can that once held frozen orange juice concentrate represents the way many Americans got their morning glass of juice in the 1950s and ‘60s. It contained a frozen cylinder of concentrated juice that had to be thawed and mixed with water in order to drink.
Description
This 6-oz. metal can that once held frozen orange juice concentrate represents the way many Americans got their morning glass of juice in the 1950s and ‘60s. It contained a frozen cylinder of concentrated juice that had to be thawed and mixed with water in order to drink. Many households adopted the habit of placing a frozen can of concentrate in the refrigerator to thaw overnight so that mixing it with water in the morning would be faster and easier.
Frozen orange juice concentrate was developed by scientists at the National Research Corporation (NRC), working with support from the federal government and the Florida Department of Citrus. Their goal was to improve the quality of food for American troops during World War II. In the early 1940s, soldiers were supplied with lemon crystals for Vitamin C, but too many of the crystals went uneaten because of the unpleasant taste. The NRC scientists examined the conventional process for evaporating the water from fresh juice, which was done in a vacuum at very low temperatures (minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit). The resulting flavor was so concentrated it didn’t taste like fresh juice. The researchers discovered, however, that flavor was restored by adding more fresh juice to the concentrate as it came out of the evaporator. The process of adding "cut-back" to the concentrate was patented in 1948 and quickly adapted for the postwar consumer market. Orange juice concentrate production in Florida grew from 3 plants in 1948 to 10 the following year.
Minute Maid, born out of the success of frozen orange juice concentrate, was named to reflect the product’s convenience and ease of preparation. In 1965, after the company was sold to Coca Cola, Minute Maid’s packaging underwent a dramatic redesign, from its original white, orange, and green color scheme to the dramatic black and orange design of this can.
See Hamilton, Alissa. Squeezed: What You Don’t Know About Orange Juice (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009).
date made
1965
ID Number
2012.0019.01
accession number
2012.0019
catalog number
2012.0019.01

Coffee Cup Lid, Solo Traveler Plus

This is a Solo Traveler Plus rotate and lock type coffee cup lid. Slide and lock and rotate and lock types provide an opportunity to “reseal” the lid by provided a sliding or rotating piece of added plastic to block a drink hole.
Description
This is a Solo Traveler Plus rotate and lock type coffee cup lid. Slide and lock and rotate and lock types provide an opportunity to “reseal” the lid by provided a sliding or rotating piece of added plastic to block a drink hole. This lid's design is covered by patent number 7,731,047 B2 assigned to the Solo Cup Operating Corporation on June 8th, 2010.
Architects and collectors Louise Harpman and Scott Specht donated 56 plastic cup lids to the National Museum of American History in 2012. Their donation is a sample from their much larger collection of “independently patented drink-through plastic cup lids,” which they began in 1984 and discussed in a 2005 essay, “Inventory / Peel, Pucker, Pinch, Puncture,” in Cabinet Magazine: http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/19/harpman.php. The collectors’ categorization scheme reflects the primary way the lid design functions, which helps differentiate between the varieties and styles of lids.
Plastic, disposable coffee cup lids and other single-use food packages reinforce the social acceptability of eating and drinking on the go in the United States and reflect increasing expectation for convenience products. Cup lids are also examples of how humble, and even disposable, objects are sometimes the result of meticulous engineering. Patents for lid innovations describe peel-back tabs and the pucker-type shapes that make room for mouths and noses, and describe the nuances of “heat retention,” “mouth comfort,” “splash reduction,” “friction fit,” and “one-handed activation.”
ID Number
2012.3047.49
catalog number
2012.3047.49
nonaccession number
2012.3047

Peet’s Coffee Mug

This tall, ceramic coffee mug is distinguished by its decorative elements—a monkey with arms raised, a dog, and a six-point star—a logo used by Peet’s Coffee & Tea Company.
Description
This tall, ceramic coffee mug is distinguished by its decorative elements—a monkey with arms raised, a dog, and a six-point star—a logo used by Peet’s Coffee & Tea Company. The logo is shown in a dark plum color with the word Peet’s appearing in black on the mug’s white background. Peet’s has borrowed designs from ceramic stamps made in coffee growing regions of the world, and the monkey dog star pattern is from Central America. Although no longer the primary logo used by the company, the motif remains popular with loyal customers.
The rise of coffee shops like Peet’s was part of the “good food” movement in America that began in the 1960s. In terms of coffee, the movement was a reaction against the instant and pre-ground coffee that had become the bland standard in the United States.
Alfred Peet, who was born into a coffee roasting family in Holland and moved to the United States after World War II, founded Peet’s Coffee & Tea on April 1, 1966. Peet, who worked as a coffee importer for large American coffee companies, was shocked at the poor quality of American coffee. After being laid off in 1965, Peet started his own business dedicated to creating high-quality, small-batch, dark roast coffee. The first Peet’s store, located at the corner of Vine and Walnut Streets in Berkeley, California, became a gathering place for coffee lovers, who were known as “Peetniks.” By 1969 foodies and artisanal producers, inspired to create fresh, high-quality American food, had settled into the neighborhood around Peet’s. Three Peetniks went on to establish Starbucks in Seattle’s Pike Place Market in 1971, where they used Peet’s beans for their first year of production. Freshly brewed, dark roast Arabica bean coffee is widely available at coffee shops and in markets throughout the United States, and the trend is shifting towards small shops focused on cultivating coffee connoisseurs.
ID Number
2012.0130.01
catalog number
2012.0130.01
accession number
2012.0130

JCPenney Model 863-5610-60 Microwave Oven

While conducting experiments with radar in 1945, Raytheon scientist Dr. Percy Spencer noticed that a magnetron was emitting microwaves that were generating heat. He developed and patented a process for heating food by placing it under parallel magnetrons.
Description
While conducting experiments with radar in 1945, Raytheon scientist Dr. Percy Spencer noticed that a magnetron was emitting microwaves that were generating heat. He developed and patented a process for heating food by placing it under parallel magnetrons. Within a couple of years his colleagues William M. Hall and Fritz A. Gross patented a microwave heating unit housed within an oven. The first models of the microwave oven were roughly six feet tall and weighed over 750 pounds, clearly not suitable for kitchen counters at home. It wasn’t until the mid-1950s that microwave ovens were manufactured for home use.
This model 963-5610-60 microwave oven was manufactured in Japan in 1976 by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. for J.C. Penney, a large, American retailer. The operating manual touts some of the oven’s special features, including a 15-minute timer for precise cooking, a built-in recipe guide for “at-a-glance” convenience for common foods, a magnetron tube for even microwave cooking, and an end-of-cooking bell and automatic shut off. The oven’s most unusual features are its door, which is hinged from the top, and a multi-sided observation window, which allowed for watching the cooking in progress. Reflecting the growing popularity of microwave ovens for preparing snack foods like popcorn, the owner’s manual suggests that it can be placed even in the family room due to its low profile design.
Jeff and Jan Thompson purchased this unit in 1976 on installments for $219.95, plus $28.95 for an Assured Performance Plan (an extended warranty) and $12.45 tax. They donated the oven and documentation, including a service manual, warranty card, operating instructions, warehouse sales slip and pick-up slip, to the museum in 2006.
Sources:
Raytheon website, http://www.raytheon.com/ourcompany/history/
Patent documents and owner’s manual from S drive, Microwave folder
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1976-04
maker
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
ID Number
2006.0133.01
accession number
2006.0133
catalog number
2006.0133.01
model number
863-5610-60-21

Pallido California Extra Virgin Olive Oil Poster

David Lance Goines is known as a writer and lecturer as well as an illustrator and printer of both letterpress and offset lithography, his work much exhibited and collected throughout the country.
Description
David Lance Goines is known as a writer and lecturer as well as an illustrator and printer of both letterpress and offset lithography, his work much exhibited and collected throughout the country. But his Arts and Crafts influenced design is best known on his posters and in books. Goines was a recognized activist in Berkeley, associated with the Free Speech and Anti-War movements, and he did poster and book work for these movements.
Alice Waters, who founded the Berkeley restaurant, Chez Panisse, was a founding inspiration of the fresh, local, and organic food movement. She met David Goines in the Berkeley Free Speech movement. They began to collaborate on a column, “Alice’s Restaurant” for the local alternative paper. She wrote the recipes and he provided the artwork. He collected and printed each column as Thirty Recipes for Framing and the entire set and individual prints from the set began to appear on Berkeley walls and beyond, establishing him with enough profits to buy the Berkeley Free Press, rechristened the St. Hieronymus Press.
He issued his first Chez Panisse poster, "Red-Haired Lady," in 1972 and his most recent, "41st Anniversary," in 2012. In between is a series of anniversary posters, plus occasional others celebrating the restaurant's book releases, such as the Chez Panisse Café Cookbook, and other ventures. These works established his place as the primary artist associated with food and wine in the so-called Gourmet Ghetto. His early posters for Chez Panisse were soon followed by requests from other food and wine related sites and events, as well as from many other commercial entities.
The design for this 1987 poster by David Lance Goines was first commissioned as a bottle label by Corti Brothers Grocery in Sacramento to note the introduction of some of the first extra-virgin olive oil made in the United States. According to Corti, the labels were originally made for Antinori, the great Italian wine (and olive oil) producer, but a freeze knocked out the olive crop. Antinori returned the labels to Corti, whose grocery was to carry the Antinori oil. Corti got Goines to re-do the labels for the Pallido and Verdesco oils, “Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Spring Harvest Mission Olives,” simultaneously requesting a large number of the 4 color posters (unsigned, number130 in the Goines repertory) which he (Corti) could sell in the store. He also obtained the progressives from Goines, eventually giving the set of progressives and several of the posters to the National Museum of American History in 2012. The poster documents the arrival in the U.S. of the first wave of soon-to-be well known and much favored California-produced olive oils.
Many credit Darrell Corti for introducing chefs, food writers, and food critics to some of the high grades of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, American wines such as Zinfandel, and other foods that have become staples across America.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1987
maker
Goines, David Lance
ID Number
2011.0252.04
accession number
2011.0252
catalog number
2011.0252.04

Coffee Cup Lid, Imperial Bondware LHRDS-16

This is an Imperial Bondware LHRDS-16 pucker style coffee cup lid. Pucker type lids require the drinker to place his or her mouth over a protrusion with a hole in it.
Description
This is an Imperial Bondware LHRDS-16 pucker style coffee cup lid. Pucker type lids require the drinker to place his or her mouth over a protrusion with a hole in it. With these lids, the drinker does not drink directly from the cup—mouths do not make contact with the rim of the cup. Instead, one drinks from only the lid. This lid's design is covered by patent number D417,845 assigned to Insulair, Inc. on December 21, 1999.
Architects and collectors Louise Harpman and Scott Specht donated 56 plastic cup lids to the National Museum of American History in 2012. Their donation is a sample from their much larger collection of “independently patented drink-through plastic cup lids,” which they began in 1984 and discussed in a 2005 essay, “Inventory / Peel, Pucker, Pinch, Puncture,” in Cabinet Magazine: http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/19/harpman.php. The collectors’ categorization scheme reflects the primary way the lid design functions, which helps differentiate between the varieties and styles of lids.
Plastic, disposable coffee cup lids and other single-use food packages reinforce the social acceptability of eating and drinking on the go in the United States and reflect increasing expectation for convenience products. Cup lids are also examples of how humble, and even disposable, objects are sometimes the result of meticulous engineering. Patents for lid innovations describe peel-back tabs and the pucker-type shapes that make room for mouths and noses, and describe the nuances of “heat retention,” “mouth comfort,” “splash reduction,” “friction fit,” and “one-handed activation.”
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2012.3047.19
catalog number
2012.3047.19
nonaccession number
2012.3047

Coffee Cup Lid, Dixie

This is a Dixie brand pucker type coffee cup lid. Pucker type lids require the drinker to place his or her mouth over a protrusion with a hole in it. With these lids, the drinker does not drink directly from the cup—mouths do not make contact with the rim of the cup.
Description
This is a Dixie brand pucker type coffee cup lid. Pucker type lids require the drinker to place his or her mouth over a protrusion with a hole in it. With these lids, the drinker does not drink directly from the cup—mouths do not make contact with the rim of the cup. Instead, one drinks from only the lid.
Architects and collectors Louise Harpman and Scott Specht donated 56 plastic cup lids to the National Museum of American History in 2012. Their donation is a sample from their much larger collection of “independently patented drink-through plastic cup lids,” which they began in 1984 and discussed in a 2005 essay, “Inventory / Peel, Pucker, Pinch, Puncture,” in Cabinet Magazine: http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/19/harpman.php. The collectors’ categorization scheme reflects the primary way the lid design functions, which helps differentiate between the varieties and styles of lids.
Plastic, disposable coffee cup lids and other single-use food packages reinforce the social acceptability of eating and drinking on the go in the United States and reflect increasing expectation for convenience products. Cup lids are also examples of how humble, and even disposable, objects are sometimes the result of meticulous engineering. Patents for lid innovations describe peel-back tabs and the pucker-type shapes that make room for mouths and noses, and describe the nuances of “heat retention,” “mouth comfort,” “splash reduction,” “friction fit,” and “one-handed activation.”
ID Number
2012.3047.28
catalog number
2012.3047.28
nonaccession number
2012.3047

Coffee Cup Lid, Dixie 9540

This is a Dixie brand peel type coffee cup lid. Peel type lids require the drinker to peel back a piece of the lid to create a wedge-shaped opening, revealing the top edge of the cup. Dixie 9540, round beige plastic disc with raised rim.
Description
This is a Dixie brand peel type coffee cup lid. Peel type lids require the drinker to peel back a piece of the lid to create a wedge-shaped opening, revealing the top edge of the cup. Dixie 9540, round beige plastic disc with raised rim. There is a raised logo and company name, with “Petal X” design large and central, holds the letters related to coffee options: “B,” “C,” “S,” and “SC” (for Black, Cream, Sugar, and Sugar and Cream). The Dixie “Petal X” logo was created in 1969 by graphic designer Saul Bass.
Architects and collectors Louise Harpman and Scott Specht donated 56 plastic cup lids to the National Museum of American History in 2012. Their donation is a sample from their much larger collection of “independently patented drink-through plastic cup lids,” which they began in 1984 and discussed in a 2005 essay, “Inventory / Peel, Pucker, Pinch, Puncture,” in Cabinet Magazine: http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/19/harpman.php. The collectors’ categorization scheme reflects the primary way the lid design functions, which helps differentiate between the varieties and styles of lids.
Plastic, disposable coffee cup lids and other single-use food packages reinforce the social acceptability of eating and drinking on the go in the United States and reflect increasing expectation for convenience products. Cup lids are also examples of how humble, and even disposable, objects are sometimes the result of meticulous engineering. Patents for lid innovations describe peel-back tabs and the pucker-type shapes that make room for mouths and noses, and describe the nuances of “heat retention,” “mouth comfort,” “splash reduction,” “friction fit,” and “one-handed activation.”
ID Number
2012.3047.02
catalog number
2012.3047.02
nonaccession number
2012.3047

Tarter Sauce Cartridge

This cartridge for holding tartar sauce is made of white cardboard; the words “McDonald’s ® Tartar Sauce” are shown in green lettering along with the McDonald’s double arches logo.
Description
This cartridge for holding tartar sauce is made of white cardboard; the words “McDonald’s ® Tartar Sauce” are shown in green lettering along with the McDonald’s double arches logo. This canister holds 25 fluid ounces of tartar sauce, and is made to be used with a ratchet gun condiment dispenser. The tartar sauce is used on McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish sandwiches, a menu item developed by a franchisee in 1962 as an option for his customers who did not eat meat on Fridays for religious reasons. The Filet-O-Fish became a nationwide menu item by 1965 beating out another meatless option, the Hula burger, made with grilled pineapple.
The McDonald’s Corporation is one of the most recognizable hamburger restaurants in the United States. As of 2011, the McDonald’s Corporation and franchisees were operating in 119 countries with 1.9 million employees, making it the 4th largest employer in the world.
In 1940, Richard (Dick) and Maurice (Mac) McDonald opened the first McDonald’s Bar-B-Q drive-in restaurant in San Bernardino, California. In 1948, the brothers redesigned their menu, centering on the 15 cent hamburger. In 1954, Ray Kroc, a Multimixer (milkshake machine) salesman, became interested in the McDonalds brothers’ high volume restaurant. He worked out a deal with the brother to be their franchising agent and opened the first franchise location in Illinois the following year. Under Kroc’s direction, the company grew to become the giant we know today.
ID Number
1991.0324.02B
catalog number
1991.0324.02B
accession number
1991.0324

McDonald's Double Clam Shell Container

The McDonald’s Double Clam Shell Container was designed for the McD.L.T., the McDonald’s Lettuce and Tomato Hamburger. The idea was to separate the sandwich’s hot and cold elements until the consumer was ready to eat them.
Description
The McDonald’s Double Clam Shell Container was designed for the McD.L.T., the McDonald’s Lettuce and Tomato Hamburger. The idea was to separate the sandwich’s hot and cold elements until the consumer was ready to eat them. One side held the bottom half of the bun and the meat, while the other held the lettuce, tomato, American cheese, pickles, sauces, and top half of the bun. The packaging boasts. ‘The Lettuce & Tomato on this side stay COOL!’ while ‘The ¼ lb*. Beef Patty on this side stays HOT! *Weight before cooking 4oz.’ The double compartment polystyrene container features images of how the elements of the sandwich were separated into the two compartments. McDonald’s use of polystyrene packaging became the subject of environmental controversy in the 1980s, and the McD.L.T, with its double container, was removed from the menu. McDonald's and other fast food chains replaced polystyrene packaging with coated paper.
The McDonald’s Corporation is one of the most recognizable hamburger restaurants in the United States. As of 2011, the McDonald’s Corporation and franchisees were operating in 119 countries with 1.9 million employees, making it the 4th largest employer in the world.
In 1940, Richard (Dick) and Maurice (Mac) McDonald opened the first McDonald’s Bar-B-Q drive-in restaurant in San Bernardino, California. In 1948, the brothers redesigned their menu, centering on the 15 cent hamburger. In 1954, Ray Kroc, a Multimixer (milkshake machine) salesman, became interested in the McDonalds brothers’ high volume restaurant. He worked out a deal with the brother to be their franchising agent and opened the first franchise location in Illinois the following year. Under Kroc’s direction, the company grew to become the giant we know today.
ID Number
1998.0349.01
accession number
1998.0349
catalog number
1998.0349.01

Coffee Cup Lid, Letica Corporation

This is a Letica Corporation pucker type coffee cup lid. Pucker type lids require the drinker to place his or her mouth over a protrusion with a hole in it. With these lids, the drinker does not drink directly from the cup—mouths do not make contact with the rim of the cup.
Description
This is a Letica Corporation pucker type coffee cup lid. Pucker type lids require the drinker to place his or her mouth over a protrusion with a hole in it. With these lids, the drinker does not drink directly from the cup—mouths do not make contact with the rim of the cup. Instead, one drinks from only the lid.
Architects and collectors Louise Harpman and Scott Specht donated 56 plastic cup lids to the National Museum of American History in 2012. Their donation is a sample from their much larger collection of “independently patented drink-through plastic cup lids,” which they began in 1984 and discussed in a 2005 essay, “Inventory / Peel, Pucker, Pinch, Puncture,” in Cabinet Magazine: http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/19/harpman.php. The collectors’ categorization scheme reflects the primary way the lid design functions, which helps differentiate between the varieties and styles of lids.
Plastic, disposable coffee cup lids and other single-use food packages reinforce the social acceptability of eating and drinking on the go in the United States and reflect increasing expectation for convenience products. Cup lids are also examples of how humble, and even disposable, objects are sometimes the result of meticulous engineering. Patents for lid innovations describe peel-back tabs and the pucker-type shapes that make room for mouths and noses, and describe the nuances of “heat retention,” “mouth comfort,” “splash reduction,” “friction fit,” and “one-handed activation.”
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2012.3047.30
catalog number
2012.3047.30
nonaccession number
2012.3047

Jack-in-the-Box Drive Through Menu Sign

Made in a San Diego sign shop, this metal menu board formed one side of a speaker box at a Jack in the Box drive thru restaurant. Drivers approached the menu, made their selections, and proceeded to the speaker box to place their orders.
Description
Made in a San Diego sign shop, this metal menu board formed one side of a speaker box at a Jack in the Box drive thru restaurant. Drivers approached the menu, made their selections, and proceeded to the speaker box to place their orders. This menu is from the early 1960s and features an 18-cent hamburger and 25 cent tacos.
Since 1951 when the first Jack in the Box opened in southern California, the restaurant chain has catered to serving customers in their cars. The restaurants were drive-thru only and, to attract drivers from a distance, the company employed unusual architecture and signage featuring a giant clown head springing from a box, like the toy.
Jack in the Box restaurants suited southern California’s automobile-focused culture. Small buildings without indoor seating kept operating costs low. They also discouraged competitors: the drive-thru-only operations gave the mistaken impression that the place was empty since cars would drive in and out so quickly, never forming long lines, but all while conducting brisk business. Founder Robert O. Peterson credits the idea for his burger place with ideas borrowed from other recently opened California burger chains. He noticed that after McDonald’s got rid of carhops their profits soared, and at In-N-Out Burger, a very limited menu seemed to work well. Peterson incorporated both of these ideas (no carhops, limited menu), and focused on developing the model of customers driving up, placing their orders, and then driving away.
ID Number
2012.0012.02
catalog number
2012.0012.01
accession number
2012.0012

Jack-in-the-Box Drive Through Sign

This sturdy plastic panel with the words “Jack will speak to you” in red lettering formed one side of a speaker box at a Jack in the Box drive thru restaurant in southern California. It directed drivers to the speaker where they placed their orders.
Description
This sturdy plastic panel with the words “Jack will speak to you” in red lettering formed one side of a speaker box at a Jack in the Box drive thru restaurant in southern California. It directed drivers to the speaker where they placed their orders. The concept of ordering through a two-way intercom was unfamiliar to many customers in the 1950s and this panel not only directed customers but prepared them for the voice of “Jack” to respond.
Since 1951 when the first Jack in the Box opened in southern California, the restaurant chain has catered to serving customers in their cars. The restaurants were drive-thru only and, to attract drivers from a distance, the company employed unusual architecture and signage featuring a giant clown head springing from a box, like the toy.
Jack in the Box restaurants suited southern California’s automobile-focused culture. Small buildings without indoor seating kept operating costs low. They also discouraged competitors: the drive-thru-only operations gave the mistaken impression that the place was empty since cars would drive in and out so quickly, never forming long lines, but all while conducting brisk business. Founder Robert O. Peterson credits the idea for his burger place with ideas borrowed from other recently opened California burger chains. He noticed that after McDonald’s got rid of carhops their profits soared, and at In-N-Out Burger, a very limited menu seemed to work well. Peterson incorporated both of these ideas (no carhops, limited menu), and focused on developing the model of customers driving up, placing their orders, and then driving away.
ID Number
2012.0012.01
catalog number
2012.0012.01
accession number
2012.0012

Coffee Cup Lid, Lily 350HFL

This is a Lily 350HFL peel and lock type coffee cup lid.
Description
This is a Lily 350HFL peel and lock type coffee cup lid. Peel and lock type lids give the drinker a place to snap the peeled back lid part into itself, preventing the need to tear off or throw away a little triangle of plastic.
Architects and collectors Louise Harpman and Scott Specht donated 56 plastic cup lids to the National Museum of American History in 2012. Their donation is a sample from their much larger collection of “independently patented drink-through plastic cup lids,” which they began in 1984 and discussed in a 2005 essay, “Inventory / Peel, Pucker, Pinch, Puncture,” in Cabinet Magazine: http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/19/harpman.php. The collectors’ categorization scheme reflects the primary way the lid design functions, which helps differentiate between the varieties and styles of lids.
Plastic, disposable coffee cup lids and other single-use food packages reinforce the social acceptability of eating and drinking on the go in the United States and reflect increasing expectation for convenience products. Cup lids are also examples of how humble, and even disposable, objects are sometimes the result of meticulous engineering. Patents for lid innovations describe peel-back tabs and the pucker-type shapes that make room for mouths and noses, and describe the nuances of “heat retention,” “mouth comfort,” “splash reduction,” “friction fit,” and “one-handed activation.”
ID Number
2012.3047.46
catalog number
2012.3047.46
nonaccession number
2012.3047

Coffee Cup Lid, 510 TL

This is a 510-TL peel and lock type coffee cup lid. The lid is very similar to object 2012.3047.07 and may be a Sweetheart lid.
Description
This is a 510-TL peel and lock type coffee cup lid. The lid is very similar to object 2012.3047.07 and may be a Sweetheart lid. Peel and lock type lids give the drinker a place to snap the peeled back lid part into itself, preventing the need to tear off or throw away a little triangle of plastic.
Architects and collectors Louise Harpman and Scott Specht donated 56 plastic cup lids to the National Museum of American History in 2012. Their donation is a sample from their much larger collection of “independently patented drink-through plastic cup lids,” which they began in 1984 and discussed in a 2005 essay, “Inventory / Peel, Pucker, Pinch, Puncture,” in Cabinet Magazine: http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/19/harpman.php. The collectors’ categorization scheme reflects the primary way the lid design functions, which helps differentiate between the varieties and styles of lids.
Plastic, disposable coffee cup lids and other single-use food packages reinforce the social acceptability of eating and drinking on the go in the United States and reflect increasing expectation for convenience products. Cup lids are also examples of how humble, and even disposable, objects are sometimes the result of meticulous engineering. Patents for lid innovations describe peel-back tabs and the pucker-type shapes that make room for mouths and noses, and describe the nuances of “heat retention,” “mouth comfort,” “splash reduction,” “friction fit,” and “one-handed activation.”
ID Number
2012.3047.16
catalog number
2012.3047.16
nonaccession number
2012.3047

Coffee Cup Lid

This is a peel type coffee cup lid. Peel type lids require the drinker to peel back a piece of the lid to create a wedge-shaped opening, revealing the top edge of the cup.
Description
This is a peel type coffee cup lid. Peel type lids require the drinker to peel back a piece of the lid to create a wedge-shaped opening, revealing the top edge of the cup. Minimal writing and perforations shows a logo at the top and offers four letters or “condiment identifiers” around the edge to mark coffee options: presumably, “B,” “C,” “S,” and “C-S” stand for Black, Cream, Sugar, and Cream and Sugar. Only one horizontal line of perforation suggests a space for tearing away or bending back a piece of plastic, while the incomplete circular shape points to where one’s mouth would go.
Architects and collectors Louise Harpman and Scott Specht donated 56 plastic cup lids to the National Museum of American History in 2012. Their donation is a sample from their much larger collection of “independently patented drink-through plastic cup lids,” which they began in 1984 and discussed in a 2005 essay, “Inventory / Peel, Pucker, Pinch, Puncture,” in Cabinet Magazine: http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/19/harpman.php. The collectors’ categorization scheme reflects the primary way the lid design functions, which helps differentiate between the varieties and styles of lids.
Plastic, disposable coffee cup lids and other single-use food packages reinforce the social acceptability of eating and drinking on the go in the United States and reflect increasing expectation for convenience products. Cup lids are also examples of how humble, and even disposable, objects are sometimes the result of meticulous engineering. Patents for lid innovations describe peel-back tabs and the pucker-type shapes that make room for mouths and noses, and describe the nuances of “heat retention,” “mouth comfort,” “splash reduction,” “friction fit,” and “one-handed activation.”
ID Number
2012.3047.01
catalog number
2012.3047.01
nonaccession number
2012.3047

Coffee Cup Lid, WinCup 16LTS

This WinCup 16LTS coffee cup lid is a peel type lid.
Description
This WinCup 16LTS coffee cup lid is a peel type lid. Peel type lids require the drinker to peel back a piece of the lid to create a wedge-shaped opening, revealing the top edge of the cup.
Architects and collectors Louise Harpman and Scott Specht donated 56 plastic cup lids to the National Museum of American History in 2012. Their donation is a sample from their much larger collection of “independently patented drink-through plastic cup lids,” which they began in 1984 and discussed in a 2005 essay, “Inventory / Peel, Pucker, Pinch, Puncture,” in Cabinet Magazine: http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/19/harpman.php. The collectors’ categorization scheme reflects the primary way the lid design functions, which helps differentiate between the varieties and styles of lids.
Plastic, disposable coffee cup lids and other single-use food packages reinforce the social acceptability of eating and drinking on the go in the United States and reflect increasing expectation for convenience products. Cup lids are also examples of how humble, and even disposable, objects are sometimes the result of meticulous engineering. Patents for lid innovations describe peel-back tabs and the pucker-type shapes that make room for mouths and noses, and describe the nuances of “heat retention,” “mouth comfort,” “splash reduction,” “friction fit,” and “one-handed activation.”
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2012.3047.04
catalog number
2012.3047.04
nonaccession number
2012.3047

Coffee Cup Lid, International Paper LHRL-16

This is an International Paper LHRL-16 peel and lock type coffee cup lid.
Description
This is an International Paper LHRL-16 peel and lock type coffee cup lid. Peel and lock type lids give the drinker a place to snap the peeled back lid part into itself, preventing the need to tear off or throw away a little triangle of plastic.
Architects and collectors Louise Harpman and Scott Specht donated 56 plastic cup lids to the National Museum of American History in 2012. Their donation is a sample from their much larger collection of “independently patented drink-through plastic cup lids,” which they began in 1984 and discussed in a 2005 essay, “Inventory / Peel, Pucker, Pinch, Puncture,” in Cabinet Magazine: http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/19/harpman.php. The collectors’ categorization scheme reflects the primary way the lid design functions, which helps differentiate between the varieties and styles of lids.
Plastic, disposable coffee cup lids and other single-use food packages reinforce the social acceptability of eating and drinking on the go in the United States and reflect increasing expectation for convenience products. Cup lids are also examples of how humble, and even disposable, objects are sometimes the result of meticulous engineering. Patents for lid innovations describe peel-back tabs and the pucker-type shapes that make room for mouths and noses, and describe the nuances of “heat retention,” “mouth comfort,” “splash reduction,” “friction fit,” and “one-handed activation.”
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2012.3047.41
catalog number
2012.3047.41
nonaccession number
2012.3047

Coffee Cup Lid, Sweetheart DTL516

This is a Sweetheart DTL516 peel and lock type coffee cup lid. Peel and lock type lids give the drinker a place to snap the peeled back lid part into itself, preventing the need to tear off or throw away a little triangle of plastic.
Description
This is a Sweetheart DTL516 peel and lock type coffee cup lid. Peel and lock type lids give the drinker a place to snap the peeled back lid part into itself, preventing the need to tear off or throw away a little triangle of plastic. The lid bears patent number 4,322,015 which was granted to John A. Bailey on March 30, 1982. This patent covered a lid whose peel tab was able to be closed after opening to prevent spilling during transport.
Architects and collectors Louise Harpman and Scott Specht donated 56 plastic cup lids to the National Museum of American History in 2012. Their donation is a sample from their much larger collection of “independently patented drink-through plastic cup lids,” which they began in 1984 and discussed in a 2005 essay, “Inventory / Peel, Pucker, Pinch, Puncture,” in Cabinet Magazine: http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/19/harpman.php. The collectors’ categorization scheme reflects the primary way the lid design functions, which helps differentiate between the varieties and styles of lids.
Plastic, disposable coffee cup lids and other single-use food packages reinforce the social acceptability of eating and drinking on the go in the United States and reflect increasing expectation for convenience products. Cup lids are also examples of how humble, and even disposable, objects are sometimes the result of meticulous engineering. Patents for lid innovations describe peel-back tabs and the pucker-type shapes that make room for mouths and noses, and describe the nuances of “heat retention,” “mouth comfort,” “splash reduction,” “friction fit,” and “one-handed activation.”
ID Number
2012.3047.38
catalog number
2012.3047.38
nonaccession number
2012.3047

Register Overlay (McDonald’s)

The register overlay used at a McDonald’s fast-food restaurant is composed of black paper with multi-colored boxes that signify different menu items. It is organized into a 12 by 10 column grid and measures 11.8 inches wide by 9.8 inches high.
Description
The register overlay used at a McDonald’s fast-food restaurant is composed of black paper with multi-colored boxes that signify different menu items. It is organized into a 12 by 10 column grid and measures 11.8 inches wide by 9.8 inches high. Cash register buttons programmed to specific products and options helped speed the food ordering process by directly communicating orders to the workers filling them. On this overlay the breakfast items are displayed with a yellow background, main courses with blue, beverages with brown, and deserts with pink. Additional register commands are displayed with a white background. In the 1990s, computer touch screens replaced register overlays at most fast-food restaurants.
As the popularity of fast-food restaurants continued to grow throughout the 1970s and 1980s, fast-food chains needed to develop new technologies to keep up with the increasing demand. Restaurants perfected and minimized steps in the ordering and assembly processes to serve as many customers as possible. The strict routines of each worker and the increase in automation led to criticism of the degree of systematization in fast-food restaurants, and some even speculated that fast-food workers would be replaced by robots. Although never reaching this extreme, the rise of fast-food led to unique technological innovations such as preprogrammed registers and computer touch screens.
The McDonald’s Corporation is one of the most recognizable hamburger restaurants in the United States. As of 2011, the McDonald’s Corporation and franchisees were operating in 119 countries with 1.9 million employees, making it the 4th largest employer in the world.
In 1940, Richard (Dick) and Maurice (Mac) McDonald opened the first McDonald’s Bar-B-Q drive-in restaurant in San Bernardino, California. In 1948, the brothers redesigned their menu, centering on the 15 cent hamburger. In 1954, Ray Kroc, a Multimixer (milkshake machine) salesman, became interested in the McDonalds brothers’ high volume restaurant. He worked out a deal with the brother to be their franchising agent and opened the first franchise location in Illinois the following year. Under Kroc’s direction, the company grew to become the giant we know today.
ID Number
1991.0324.01
catalog number
1991.0324.01
accession number
1991.0324

Chef’s Jacket, Emeril Lagasse

This white, long-sleeved chef’s jacket with green trim was worn by Chef Emeril Lagasse at his restaurant, “Emeril’s,” in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Description
This white, long-sleeved chef’s jacket with green trim was worn by Chef Emeril Lagasse at his restaurant, “Emeril’s,” in New Orleans, Louisiana. It has been signed by Emeril and includes his tag-line “Bam” written in black marker on the front of the jacket.
Chef jackets are the uniform of choice for many culinary professionals. The double-breasted design makes them easily reversible to conceal stains and the thick cotton material can be bleached clean. It also insulates chefs from hot grills, ovens, and stovetops, protecting them from hot liquids and splatter. Emeril typically wears chef jackets while working in his restaurants, during his cooking shows, and for public appearances. The restaurant Emeril’s in New Orleans is located in the Warehouse District on Tchoupitoulas Street in a renovated pharmacy warehouse. The menu features Lagasse’s variations on classic Creole and Cajun dishes and techniques such as gumbo and étouffée.
Emeril Lagasse grew up in Fall River, Massachusetts working in a Portuguese bakery; he then pursued a degree at the Johnson and Wales University culinary program, turning his passion into a career. After working in fine restaurants throughout the Northeast, Emeril made the move to New Orleans to become the executive chef of the legendary Commander’s Palace. Emeril went on to open his own restaurants including his first, Emeril’s in New Orleans, in 1990, followed by NOLA in 1992, Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House in the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas in 1995, and Emeril’s Delmonico in 1998. Emeril’s successful career in the restaurant industry was complemented by his television stardom.
Emeril appeared with Julia Child on her program Cooking with Master Chefs, and the episode, which featured a crab and crawfish boil, was a hit. Producers thought Emeril’s culinary talents and ease in front of the camera would make him an ideal host on the Television Food Network, which launched in 1993. His first show, How to Boil Water, was designed for viewers new to cooking. During the show Emeril read from a script, following the existing format of educational public television programs. The show was unsuccessful, and in response the Food Network re-imagined the type of programming it would broadcast, placing Emeril at the center of this transformation. New programming, like Emeril Live, relied on the host’s personality to win over audiences. With a signature slogan of, “Bam!,” a studio audience full of fans and a live band, Emeril Live represented the beginning of a new era of food television, and a model for future Food Network programs.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Bragard
ID Number
2012.0077.05
catalog number
2012.0077.05
accession number
2012.0077

McDonald's Coffee Travel Mug

Before the 1980s, when built-in cup holders were becoming standard equipment in new cars for the American market, motorists had few choices for keeping a beverage upright while driving.
Description
Before the 1980s, when built-in cup holders were becoming standard equipment in new cars for the American market, motorists had few choices for keeping a beverage upright while driving. The plastic, window-mounted holder, purchased separately from gas stations and other retail outlets was one popular alternative that filled the need, but introduced safety concerns as drivers had to perform an awkward maneuver to reach their beverages from the driver’s side window.
In 1983, McDonald’s offered customers a plastic mug and lid with an adhesive-coated base that could be attached to the dashboard. The “Easy Rider” travel mug was McDonald’s answer to the growing popularity of refill clubs, promotional offers that encouraged customers to return to a particular fast-food restaurant or convenience store for refills of coffee, usually at a discounted price. Customers were expected to take the coffee with them in the special, branded mug as they drove, took public transport, or walked to their destination. A New York Times article from January 9, 1989 called the “plastic sloshproof wonder known as the travel coffee mug or the commuter mug . . . the most unheralded product of Americans on the run.”
Carl Fleischhauer, the donor of this mug, was an on-the-go photographer, commuter, and enthusiastic coffee drinker. In the years before he acquired a car with built-in cup holders, he either carried a thermos or used a window-mounted plastic holder. He ate on the road several times a week, and enjoyed collecting “American advertising kitsch,” including McDonald’s promotional items during the 1970s and ‘80s. This travel mug was among the items he collected but decided against using because he didn’t want to mess up his dashboard with adhesive.
date made
1983
ID Number
2012.0088.02
catalog number
2012.0088.02
accession number
2012.0088

Placard, Mystère

Julia Child occasionally used French bistro signs as props on the early episodes of The French Chef television series, which first aired in 1963.
Description
Julia Child occasionally used French bistro signs as props on the early episodes of The French Chef television series, which first aired in 1963. This sign, in red and black lettering, advertises a “Mystery,” perhaps an acknowledgment that many Americans found French cuisine mysterious and strange. Julia’s introduction of unfamiliar cuisine through humor and a sense of adventure brought the message home to viewers in an accessible and memorable way.
ID Number
2001.0253.0740
catalog number
2001.0253.0740
accession number
2001.0253

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.