For generations, the lunch containers many of us have hauled to school and work have reflected American culture. No meal has received more cultural attention to its transport than our lunch. Of all the bags, boxes, trays, cans, and cartons carried over the past century, the most message-laden is the child's metal lunch box. This selection of boxes and drink containers from the collections of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History explores that colorful heritage.

This display is located in the Museum's lower level, in the Stars and Stripes Cafe. The display includes approximately 50 illustrated metal lunch boxes and beverage containers dating from the 1890s through the 1980s. This Web site offers a sampling of these objects.

Taking America to Lunch is made possible by Thermos.