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: Advertising

Girl eating hot dog and drinking beer

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
before 1939
maker
Keppler, Victor
ID Number
PG.006263.S
catalog number
6263S
accession number
238737

Little girl with orange and doll

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1930s-1950s
maker
Keppler, Victor
ID Number
PG.006263.I
catalog number
6263I
accession number
238737

Edward G. Robinson, Pabst

Nickolas Muray color carbro photograph of Edward G. Robinson. Advertisment for Pabst Beer ca. 1950. Robinson stands beside a painting in an ornate frame holding a pint of beer as to offer it to a guest.The wall paper in the room is a grey and pink forest theme.
Description (Brief)
Nickolas Muray color carbro photograph of Edward G. Robinson. Advertisment for Pabst Beer ca. 1950. Robinson stands beside a painting in an ornate frame holding a pint of beer as to offer it to a guest.The wall paper in the room is a grey and pink forest theme. On a table, a tray of hours'derves and beer are displayed.
Recto: Signed and dated by the artist (pencil). Verso: Muray Stamp. "#11 Eddy Robinson" (pencil). Mounted on Monogram Illustration board.
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 1950
depicted
Robinson, Edward
maker
Muray, Nickolas
ID Number
PG.007923
catalog number
7923
accession number
258415

Hamburgers

Nickolas Muray color carbro photograph ca. 1944. For use in McCall's Magazine. The photograph depicts several different ways to prepare hamburgers. Recto: Signed and dated by the artist in lower right (pencil). "McCall" (pencil). Verso: "No 6" (pencil). "McCall"(pencil).
Description (Brief)
Nickolas Muray color carbro photograph ca. 1944. For use in McCall's Magazine. The photograph depicts several different ways to prepare hamburgers. Recto: Signed and dated by the artist in lower right (pencil). "McCall" (pencil). Verso: "No 6" (pencil). "McCall"(pencil). "NM-2." (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
ca 1944
maker
Muray, Nickolas
ID Number
PG.007929
catalog number
7929
accession number
258415

Pancakes

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

Ranger Joe Glass Bowl

Introduced in 1939, Ranger Joe Honey Wheat Honnies was the first pre-sweetened breakfast cereal. It was bought out by Nabisco and renamed Wheat Honeys.In the early 1950's a television show was created to help market the cereal.
Description
Introduced in 1939, Ranger Joe Honey Wheat Honnies was the first pre-sweetened breakfast cereal. It was bought out by Nabisco and renamed Wheat Honeys.
In the early 1950's a television show was created to help market the cereal. Broadcast out of Philadelphia, it starred Jessie Rodgers, cousin of country-western music star Jimmie Rodgers.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1950s
maker
Hazel-Atlas Glass Company
ID Number
2014.0160.02
accession number
2014.0160
catalog number
2014.0160.02

Next to Nature - It's Ansco Natural Color!

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Ansco
ID Number
2016.0066.409
accession number
2016.0066
catalog number
2016.0066.0409

Oyster Tin, Heyser’s Oysters

This gallon tin once contained fresh oyster meats packed by the Wm. Heyser Company. Established in 1871 between Pratt, Grant, and Ellicott Streets in Baltimore, the block became known as the “Heyser block” as the company grew.In 1906 the U.S.
Description
This gallon tin once contained fresh oyster meats packed by the Wm. Heyser Company. Established in 1871 between Pratt, Grant, and Ellicott Streets in Baltimore, the block became known as the “Heyser block” as the company grew.
In 1906 the U.S. Congress passed several pure food laws in response to outbreaks of typhoid fever and gastrointestinal ailments linked to poor sanitation. Several new regulations were imposed on the oyster industry after contaminated oysters were blamed for serious illnesses. The laws required inspections of oyster beds and packing houses, as well as the identification of shellfish sources and standardized labeling.
This tin probably dates to the period 1920-30, when colorful lithographed tins became popular. Heyser’s distinctive red tins featured a stylized H resting on an open oyster with the sun’s rays shining on a waterfront city certainly meant to be Baltimore. It includes the old-style bail handle, a feature that was phased out around this time in an effort to reduce manufacturing costs.
Like many Baltimore oyster packers, Wm. Heyser explicitly addressed consumers’ fears about sanitation by emphasizing the clean conditions under which the oysters were handled and citing its compliance with the law. The reverse of the tin contains this message:
“GUARANTEE / OYSTERS CONTAINED IN THIS CAN WERE PACKED IN THE MOST ADVANCED SANITARY MANNER TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE PURE FOODS REGULATIONS
Shucked Fresh From The Beds—CAUTION—Fresh oysters are perishable. This can must be kept in refrigerator or in contact with ice until contents are used.”
date made
1920-1930
maker
Wm Heyser Co.
ID Number
2007.0087.01
catalog number
2007.0087.01
accession number
2007.0087

Oyster Tin, Foote's Best Oysters

This gallon tin once contained fresh oyster meats packed by the D. E. Foote & Co., Inc. Established in 1870 on West and Jackson Streets in Baltimore, D. E.
Description
This gallon tin once contained fresh oyster meats packed by the D. E. Foote & Co., Inc. Established in 1870 on West and Jackson Streets in Baltimore, D. E. Foote was one of a hundred oyster packing firms in the city that year, reflecting the enormous volume of trade in oysters from the Chesapeake Bay.
In 1906 the U.S. Congress passed several pure food laws in response to outbreaks of typhoid fever and gastrointestinal ailments linked to poor sanitation. Several new regulations were imposed on the oyster industry after contaminated oysters were blamed for serious illnesses. The laws required inspections of oyster beds and packing houses, as well as the identification of shellfish sources and standardized labeling.
This tin probably dates to the period 1920-30, when colorful lithographed tins became popular. It includes the old-style bail handle, a feature that was phased out around this time in an effort to reduce manufacturing costs. Like many Baltimore oyster packers, the Foote Company addressed consumers’ fears about sanitation by emphasizing the clean conditions under which the oysters were handled and citing its compliance with the law. The message to consumers on the reverse of the can reads: “THIS CAN CONTAINS STRICTLY FRESH SHUCKED SALT WATER OYSTERS PACKED UNDER PERSONAL SUPERVISION IN THE MOST SANITARY MANNER IN CONFORMITY WITH THE NATIONAL PURE FOOD LAW. KEEP ON ICE UNTIL USED.”
date made
1920-1930
maker
D. E. Foote & Co., Inc
ID Number
2007.0062.01
catalog number
2007.0062.01
accession number
2007.0062

Oyster Tin, Pride of the Chesapeake Brand

This gallon tin once contained fresh oyster meats packed by the J. D. Groves & Co., located at 117 S. Calvert St. and 116 Cheapside, in Baltimore, Maryland. J. D.
Description
This gallon tin once contained fresh oyster meats packed by the J. D. Groves & Co., located at 117 S. Calvert St. and 116 Cheapside, in Baltimore, Maryland. J. D. Groves also packed fish, fruits, and produce at this address, and was a delegate at the first annual meeting of the Oyster Growers and Dealers Association of North America, held in Baltimore May 18-19, 1909.
In 1906 the U.S. Congress passed several pure food laws in response to outbreaks of typhoid fever and gastrointestinal ailments linked to poor sanitation. Several new regulations were imposed on the oyster industry after contaminated oysters were blamed for serious illnesses. The laws required inspections of oyster beds and packing houses, as well as the identification of shellfish sources and standardized labeling.
This tin probably dates to the period 1920-30, when colorful lithographed tins became popular. The distinctive orange tin features a porthole design with a sailing schooner inside. Like many Baltimore oyster packers, the J. D. Groves Company included a message to consumers concerning the sanitary conditions under which the oysters were packed. The reverse of the can reads:
“WE GUARANTEE THIS CAN TO CONTAIN STRICTLY FRESH SHUCKED OYSTERS / FREE FROM PRESERVATIVES OF ANY KIND / QUALITY AND QUANTITY GUARANTEED.”
date made
1920s
1920-1930
maker
J. D. Groves & Co.
ID Number
2007.0054.01
catalog number
2007.0054.01
accession number
2007.0054

Frigidaire

Celluloid tape measure advertising Frigidaire refrigerators. One side shows a man carrying a fridgidaire unit encircled by the slogan "This Modern "Ice Man" Calls Once with Frigidaire And the Ice "Stays Always" "Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Celluloid tape measure advertising Frigidaire refrigerators. One side shows a man carrying a fridgidaire unit encircled by the slogan "This Modern "Ice Man" Calls Once with Frigidaire And the Ice "Stays Always" "
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
after 1919
Associated Name
Frigidaire
maker
Parisian Novelty Company
ID Number
2006.0098.1091
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.1091

W. Atlee Burpee & Co.

A letter opener advertising W. Atlee Burpee Co. Made of cream celluloid with green printed details, it has an image of a lima bean pod on the front and back.
Description (Brief)
A letter opener advertising W. Atlee Burpee Co. Made of cream celluloid with green printed details, it has an image of a lima bean pod on the front and back. The handle section of the opener is in the shape of a pod, described as "Natural size pod of Burpee's bush lima."
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1877
advertiser
W. Atlee Burpee & Co.
maker
Baldwin & Gleason Company
ID Number
2006.0098.0899
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0899

Ann Miller’s “Heinz’s Great American Soup” Costume

Ann Miller, the vivacious tap-dancing star of such classic screen musicals as On the Town (1949) and Kiss Me Kate (1953) wore this sparkling costume in a famous 1971 TV commercial for Heinz’s short-lived product, Great American Soup.
Description (Brief)
Ann Miller, the vivacious tap-dancing star of such classic screen musicals as On the Town (1949) and Kiss Me Kate (1953) wore this sparkling costume in a famous 1971 TV commercial for Heinz’s short-lived product, Great American Soup. The one-minute commercial, produced and directed by noted humorist and broadcaster, Stan Freberg, was a tribute to the spectacular, Busby Berkeley-style Hollywood musicals of the 1930s and 1940s, with Miller rising up out of the floor on top of a eight feet high cylinder designed to look like a giant soup can. She was backed by spurting red, white, and blue fountains and a staircase filled with singing and dancing platinum blonde chorines. The song featured in the commercial is a Freberg parody of a Hollywood tribute and has, as one of its campy, nonsensical lyrics the following phrase: ”Who’s got its noodles up in lights/ From Broadway to the Loop?/It’s the great – I said the great – the Great American Soup!” At the conclusion of the lavish musical number, Miller whirls back into kitchen setting where the scene began and Dave Willock, the actor playing her husband, remarks, “Why do you always have to make such a production out of everything?”
The costume, created by the Berman Costume Company, is made of red satin and decorated with iridescent red sequins and a glittering white rhinestone filigree pattern trim around the hips and top of bust Another major component of the costume is a bright red silk top hat, decorated with a silver band and blue stars. Both elements of costume, combined with Miller’s sunny, tongue-in-cheek performance style and Freberg’s witty script, make this one of the funniest, most elaborate commercials ever produced.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1970
performing artist
Miller, Ann
maker
Berman Costume Company
ID Number
2002.0268.01.02
accession number
2002.0268
catalog number
2002.0268.01.02

Ann Miller’s “Heinz’s Great American Soup” Costume

Ann Miller, the vivacious tap-dancing star of such classic screen musicals as On the Town (1949) and Kiss Me Kate (1953) wore this sparkling costume in a famous 1971 TV commercial for Heinz’s short-lived product, Great American Soup.
Description (Brief)
Ann Miller, the vivacious tap-dancing star of such classic screen musicals as On the Town (1949) and Kiss Me Kate (1953) wore this sparkling costume in a famous 1971 TV commercial for Heinz’s short-lived product, Great American Soup. The one-minute commercial, produced and directed by noted humorist and broadcaster, Stan Freberg, was a tribute to the spectacular, Busby Berkeley-style Hollywood musicals of the 1930s and 1940s, with Miller rising up out of the floor on top of a eight feet high cylinder designed to look like a giant soup can. She was backed by spurting red, white, and blue fountains and a staircase filled with singing and dancing platinum blonde chorines. The song featured in the commercial is a Freberg parody of a Hollywood tribute and has, as one of its campy, nonsensical lyrics the following phrase: ”Who’s got its noodles up in lights/ From Broadway to the Loop?/It’s the great – I said the great – the Great American Soup!” At the conclusion of the lavish musical number, Miller whirls back into kitchen setting where the scene began and Dave Willock, the actor playing her husband, remarks, “Why do you always have to make such a production out of everything?”
The costume, created by the Berman Costume Company, is made of red satin and decorated with iridescent red sequins and a glittering white rhinestone filigree pattern trim around the hips and top of bust Another major component of the costume is a bright red silk top hat, decorated with a silver band and blue stars. Both elements of costume, combined with Miller’s sunny, tongue-in-cheek performance style and Freberg’s witty script, make this one of the funniest, most elaborate commercials ever produced.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1970
performing artist
Miller, Ann
maker
Berman Costume Company
ID Number
2002.0268.01
accession number
2002.0268
catalog number
2002.0265.01

Cake Pan

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900 - 1920
ID Number
1992.3065.03
catalog number
1992.3065.03
nonaccession number
1992.3065

Kunzler's Scrapple Pan

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900 - 1920
ID Number
1992.3065.02
catalog number
1992.3065.02
nonaccession number
1992.3065

Cake Pan

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900 - 1920
ID Number
1992.3065.04
catalog number
1992.3065.04
nonaccession number
1992.3065

Colonel Sanders Weathervane

This weathervane is topped by a two-sided lithographed steel image of Harland Sanders in his genteel image as “Colonel Sanders”—a white suit, black string tie, and cane.
Description
This weathervane is topped by a two-sided lithographed steel image of Harland Sanders in his genteel image as “Colonel Sanders”—a white suit, black string tie, and cane. The use of the image was meant to reinforce brand loyalty by featuring the company’s iconic founder at restaurants he franchised. The image sat atop the red and white steel cupola made by the Trachte Metal Buildings Company during the 1970s, sold to franchisees to present a unified image.
Harland Sanders began selling his fried chicken at his filling station in North Corbin, Kentucky in 1934. Two years later the governor granted Sanders the honorary title of “Kentucky Colonel,” a title that was renewed in 1950 by Governor Lawrence Weatherby. Around then Sanders adopted the persona of a genteel Colonel with his suit, string tie, and cane. In 1952, Colonel Sanders licensed his chicken to Salt Lake City restaurant owner Peter Harman, and in 1955 he sold his store and traveled the country full-time selling franchises. By 1964 there were more than 600 franchisees, and Sanders sold his interest in the company for $2 million dollars.
date made
1960s
ID Number
2014.0120.01
accession number
2014.0120
catalog number
2014.0120.01

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