Food

Photo of McCall's Cheese

Part of a nation's history lies in what people eat. Artifacts at the Museum document the history of food in the United States from farm machinery to diet fads.

More than 1,300 pieces of stoneware and earthenware show how Americans have stored, prepared, and served food for centuries. Ovens, cookie cutters, kettles, aprons, and ice-cream-making machines are part of the collections, along with home canning jars and winemaking equipment. More than 1,000 objects recently came to the Museum when author and cooking show host Julia Child donated her entire kitchen, from appliances to cookbooks.

Advertising and business records of several food companies—such as Hills Brothers Coffee, Pepsi Cola, and Campbell's Soup—represent the commercial side of the subject

Resource Type: Labels (identifying artifacts)

Apple Crate Label

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 Dainty Maid brand apple crate label was used by H.S.
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 Dainty Maid brand apple crate label was used by H.S. Denison & Company of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label has a red background and a central illustration of a pretty young girl smiling and holding a red apple. Fruit labels often would depict images of healthy young children to promote the health benefits of apples.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
H. S. Denison & Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.080
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.080

Matches Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side contained Bird’s Eye brand matches manufactured by the Diamond Match Company. These matches were non-poisonous, double dip strike anywhere safety match.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side contained Bird’s Eye brand matches manufactured by the Diamond Match Company. These matches were non-poisonous, double dip strike anywhere safety match. In 1910, the Diamond Match Company patented the first nonpoisonous match (produced without phosphorous), before releasing the patent at the request of President McKinley in 1911 for the “good of mankind.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Diamond Match Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.293
catalog number
1979.0441.293
accession number
1979.0441

Cleanser Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side contained Old Dutch Cleanser that was originally produced by the Cudahy Packing Company of Meade, Kansas during the first half of the 20th century.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side contained Old Dutch Cleanser that was originally produced by the Cudahy Packing Company of Meade, Kansas during the first half of the 20th century. The brand was bought by Purex of Los Angeles, California in 1955, so this crate probably dates to around this time. The brand had a memorable logo of a Dutch maid chasing away dirt with a stick, and the crate bears the logo “makes everything spick and span.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Cudahy Soap Works, U.S.A.
ID Number
1979.0441.230
catalog number
1979.0441.230
accession number
1979.0441

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 Jo-Jo brand apple crate label was used by the Justman-Frankenthal Company of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The label was lithographed by the Ridgway Lithograph Company of Seattle, Washington. The label has an illustration of two dice, with the two sides showing up. These apples came from Wenatchee, part of a region that claimed to be the “Apple Capital of the World.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Justman Frankenthal Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.125
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.125

Lye Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side originally contained 48 cans of Rex brand high test lye.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side originally contained 48 cans of Rex brand high test lye.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Rex
ID Number
1979.0441.212
catalog number
1979.0441.212
accession number
1979.0441

Apple Crate Label

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 Horan’s apple crate label was in use by Horan Brother’s Inc.
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 Horan’s apple crate label was in use by Horan Brother’s Inc. of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label is made of three horizontal stripes. The top stripe is brown, then white, then red, with the middle white stripe bearing the symbol of two lions holding a shield with an interlocking “HB” in the center. The lithography was done by Stecher-Traung of San Francisco, California.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Horan Bros., Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.014
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.014

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 HI-YU brand apple crate label was used by the Northern Fruit Company Inc., of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The label was lithographed by Crocker-Union of Seattle, Washington. The label has a large illustration of a Native American man wearing a colorful feathered headdress. Native American imagery was a popular motif in fruit crate labeling during the early 20th century, linking the commercializing fruit industry with a more agrarian time gone by.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Northern Fruit Co. Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.025
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.025

Pumpkin Shipping Crate

This is a side panel of a shipping crate for Del Monte canned pumpkin. Del Monte is the premium brand of the California Packing Corporation (Calpak).
Description (Brief)
This is a side panel of a shipping crate for Del Monte canned pumpkin. Del Monte is the premium brand of the California Packing Corporation (Calpak). The Calpak cooperative heavily promoted Del Monte as its high quality, premium product through full-page color ads in national publications. In 1967, Calpak changed its name to the Del Monte Corporation to capitalize on the brand’s recognition.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
California Packing Corporation
ID Number
1979.0441.253
catalog number
1979.0441.253
accession number
1979.0441

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 Rivas brand apple crate label was used by the Oneonta Trading Corporation of Wenatchee-Yakima, Washington during the first half of the 20th century. The blue and red crate label was lithographed by the Ridgway Lithograph Company of Seattle, Washington. The Wenatchee-Yakima region of central Washington was a large producer of apples during the early 20th century.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Oneonta Trading Corp.
ID Number
1979.0441.006
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.006

Ammunition Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side originally contained Peters small arms ammunition manufactured by the Peters Cartridge Division of the Remington Arms Company in King Mills, Ohio during the early 20th century.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side originally contained Peters small arms ammunition manufactured by the Peters Cartridge Division of the Remington Arms Company in King Mills, Ohio during the early 20th century. Peters was once a Remington competitor and enjoyed financial success during World War I, before Remington bought Peters during the Great Depression.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Remington Arms Company, Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.345
catalog number
1979.0441.345
accession number
1979.0441

Apple Crate Label

This Skookum brand apple crate was in use by the Northwestern Fruit Growers Association of Seattle, Washington, in the early 20th century.
Description (Brief)
This Skookum brand apple crate was in use by the Northwestern Fruit Growers Association of Seattle, Washington, in the early 20th century. Skookum was a Chinook word denoting “excellence.” Native American imagery was frequently depicted on the crate labels of various fruit distributors to evoke the idea of rich, natural produce.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Skookum Packers Association
Northwestern Fruit Exchange
ID Number
1979.0441.058
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.058

Soap Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side contained White King brand washing machine soap that was manufactured by the Los Angeles Soap Company of Los Angeles, California during the first half of the 20th century.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side contained White King brand washing machine soap that was manufactured by the Los Angeles Soap Company of Los Angeles, California during the first half of the 20th century. The crate contained 24 packages of soap, and features an illustration of a king holding a sword similar in style to the King playing card.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Los Angeles Soap Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.198
catalog number
1979.0441.198
accession number
1979.0441

Cheese Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side contained Kraft brand American Cheese spread that was manufactured by the Kraft Cheese Company of Chicago, Illinois during the early 20th century.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side contained Kraft brand American Cheese spread that was manufactured by the Kraft Cheese Company of Chicago, Illinois during the early 20th century. The crate contained 2 pounds of cheese spread, and the crate side bears a reminder to keep the cheese under refrigeration.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Kraft Foods Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.351
catalog number
1979.0441.351
accession number
1979.0441

Tomato Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side contained Hunt’s brand tomatoes packed by the Hunt Brothers Packing Company of San Francisco, California during the early 20th century. The crate contained 24 tins of tomatoes.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side contained Hunt’s brand tomatoes packed by the Hunt Brothers Packing Company of San Francisco, California during the early 20th century. The crate contained 24 tins of tomatoes. The Hunt Brothers tomato company was founded in 1888, and continues making tomato products to this day as a brand of Conagra Foods Inc.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Hunt Bros. Company
ID Number
1979.0441.208
catalog number
1979.0441.208
accession number
1979.0441

Flour Crate Label

This is an end of an Albers Brother’s Buckwheat Flour shipping crate. The Albers Brother’s Milling Company was founded in 1895 in Portland, Oregon.
Description (Brief)
This is an end of an Albers Brother’s Buckwheat Flour shipping crate. The Albers Brother’s Milling Company was founded in 1895 in Portland, Oregon. The Albers Brothers Milling Company produced a variety of grain products, such as corn meal, grits, oats, wheat mush, and flour under a variety of brands, like Carnation, Peacock, Del Monte and Sunripe. In 1929 the Carnation Milk Products Company purchased Albers Brother’s Milling Company, but kept Albers as a subsidiary.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Albers Brothers Milling Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.326
catalog number
1979.0441.326
accession number
1979.0441

Flypaper Shipping Crate

This shipping crate, imprinted Tanglefoot Flypaper Company, originally contained 5 boxes of 250 double sheets. Tanglefoot was manufactured by the O&W Thum Company, founded in 1885.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate, imprinted Tanglefoot Flypaper Company, originally contained 5 boxes of 250 double sheets. Tanglefoot was manufactured by the O&W Thum Company, founded in 1885. Tanglefoot was exceptionally popular because the company’s formula of castor oil, resins, and wax did not soak through the paper and stayed sticky long enough for it to be stocked on store shelves. Previously, the adhesive had to be applied to the paper when it was sold.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Tanglefoot
ID Number
1979.0441.259
catalog number
1979.0441.259
accession number
1979.0441

Yeast Shipping Crate

This Magic Yeast shipping crate end is printed with Magic Yeast’s owl and moon trademark. Magic Yeast was formulated and manufactured by Egbert W. Gillett in 1886.
Description (Brief)
This Magic Yeast shipping crate end is printed with Magic Yeast’s owl and moon trademark. Magic Yeast was formulated and manufactured by Egbert W. Gillett in 1886. In 1893 Gillett founded the Northwestern Yeast Company in Chicago, Illinois, to manufacture Magic Yeast and its companion product, Yeast Foam. In 1929 the company was merged with four others by J.P. Morgan to create Standard Brands.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Northwestern Yeast Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.149
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.149

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 Foot Hill brand apple crate label was in use in Wenatchee, Washington around 1900-1940. The image of a rising sun over the mountains and the slogan "From the Foothills of the Cascades" evokes a sense of nature that was often used in fruit crate labels. The apples were shipped by Tyrrell’s of Wenatchee, Washington. Wenatchee was one of the largest American apple producing regions during the early 20th century.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Tyrrell's
ID Number
1979.0441.003
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.003

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 Snoboy brand apple crate label was used by the Pacific Fruit and Produce Company of Seattle, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label was produced by the Schmidt L. Company of Seattle, Washington. The label has a blue background, with an illustration of a snowman holding a red apple and waving.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Pacific Fruit & Produce Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.081
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.081

Tomatoes Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side contained Comax Brand California tomatoes that were distributed by the West Coast Grower Company of Tacoma, Washington during the early 20th century. The crate contained two dozen cans of solid packed tomatoes.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side contained Comax Brand California tomatoes that were distributed by the West Coast Grower Company of Tacoma, Washington during the early 20th century. The crate contained two dozen cans of solid packed tomatoes.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
West Coast Gro. Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.188
catalog number
1979.0441.188
accession number
1979.0441

Soap Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side originally contained Citrus Washing Powder manufactured by the Citrus Soap Company of San Diego, California in the early 20th century. The crate contained 48 packages of Citrus washing powder.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side originally contained Citrus Washing Powder manufactured by the Citrus Soap Company of San Diego, California in the early 20th century. The crate contained 48 packages of Citrus washing powder.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Citrus Soap Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.307
catalog number
1979.0441.307
accession number
1979.0441

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 Tumwater brand apple crate label was used by the Cashmere Fruit Exchange in Cashmere, Washington during the beginning of the 20th century. The lithographed label was produced by Stecher-Traung of San Francisco, California. Tumwater Canyon is pictured on the label, and its large stream that runs into Lake Wenatchee is surrounded by a forest, flowing down from the mountains. Fruit crate labels often depicted landscapes like this to evoke the idea of rich, natural produce.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Cashmere Fruit Exchange
ID Number
1979.0441.017
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.017

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 Four Star brand apple crate label was used by Driver & Woodrow of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label has a blue background, with an illustration of four stars around the number “4.” These apples came from the Wenatchee Valley region of Washington, which claimed to be the “Apple Capital of the World.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Driver & Woodrow
ID Number
1979.0441.115
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.115

Baking Powder Shipping Crate

This shipping crate side contained KC brand baking powder that was manufactured by the Jaques Manufacturing Company of Chicago, Illinois during the early 20th century. The crate contained two dozen 25 ounce cans of baking powder.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side contained KC brand baking powder that was manufactured by the Jaques Manufacturing Company of Chicago, Illinois during the early 20th century. The crate contained two dozen 25 ounce cans of baking powder. The company advertised through a popular recipe booklet called “The Cook’s Book.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Jaques Mfg. Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.191
catalog number
1979.0441.191
accession number
1979.0441

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