Food and Drink

"And were it not for Friday's pain, that sadly comes in Thursday's train, I should be full of gratitude!"

From a Kodachrome slide, date and location unknown.

In this undated slide, two exuberant women commence Christmas cooking in the kitchen. Santa Claus decoration on the wall: "Merry Christmas. Happy New Year."

"Bristol County Association. G.A.R. Clambake. Riverview Park, Labor Day. Seat No. 332." Handwritten additions to the front of this ticket: "C. L. Deane & J.D.H. Jr. Sep. 6/88. (over.)" Handwritten note on the back (see below): "Worst clam bake I ever went to. Tables set in open field. Broiling hot sun. Clams half done. One waiter to our table. Everything in the bake was smoky. Everybody disgusted. C. L. Deane." "C. L. Deane" was clearly displeased with the food and service at the clambake that he and "J.D.H. Jr." attended as part of an early observance of Labor Day in 1888. The Bristol County Association, based in Bristol County, Massachusetts, was a local chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.), an American Civil War veterans' organization. C. L. Deane may have been Charles Learned Deane (1871-1955). If so, he would have been only 17 years old when he registered his complaints about the clambake on his ticket for seat no. 332.

"Worst clam bake I ever went to. Tables set in open field. Broiling hot sun. Clams half done. One waiter to our table. Everything in the bake was smoky. Everybody disgusted. C. L. Deane." Complaints about the food and service at a clambake that was held over 125 years ago. For more information, see the front of this ticket :

"The wee bit of shamrock we all love so well. Erin's Isle." Printed on the back of this postcard: "Raphael Tuck & Sons' Post Card Series No. 157 The Emerald Isle." Postmarked Portland, Maine, March 15, 1914, and addressed to Mr. Cou M. McCarthy, Tunnel, Broome County, N.Y. Handwritten message: "3-15-14. Dear Friend, I received your welcome letter and I will write to you in a few days. Alex Gibson."

A "Guild Color Processing" slide.

"Star Freezer, American Machine Co., Phila. Thos. Hunter, lith., Phila." This Victorian-era trade card features a group of winged infant children who are gathered around a goat-drawn wagon that's transporting a Star Ice Cream Freezer manufactured by the American Machine Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Depictions of winged infants--called putti or cherubs--were popular in Victorian and Edwardian advertisements and illustrations. These winged children are secular counterparts to biblical angels and mythological cupids, and their appearance doesn't necessarily signify religious devotion or romantic love. In this case, I believe that they were simply used in a lighthearted way to extol the virtues of the company's ice cream freezers. And they might have also appealed to the children who collected and pasted trade cards into scrapbook albums in the late nineteenth century. For a list of "meritorious advantages" provided by this freezer, see the other side of the card:

The back of a Victorian-era trade card for the Star Ice Cream Freezer, which was manufactured by the American Machine Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. How could anyone resist buying one after reading all the "meritorious advantages" listed here? See below for the front of the card. The Star Ice Cream Freezer, Double Action Is recommended with confidence as equal to the best freezers in the market, with some meritorious advantages not found in others. Prominent among which we mention: --The tub is made strong and of best quality cedar, bound with galvanized iron hoops. --The gearing is completely covered, so that nothing can get between the cogs. --The can can be revolved to harden cream after stirrer has been removed. --The cross-bar is arranged to give the greatest facility for packing ice. --The can and stirrer both revolve, but in opposite directions. --The scraper is self-adjusting. --The workmanship and material are of the very best. Sizes, Prices: 2 qt., $8.75. 3 qt., $4.50. 4 qt., $5.50. 6 qt., $7.00. 8 qt., $9.00. 10 qt., $11.00. 14 qt., $14.00 each. Manufactured by American Machine Co., N.E. corner, Lehigh Avenue & American Street, Philadelphia. For sale by all hardware and house furnishing stores.

"May your Thanksgiving never end in dreams like these!" Postcard postmarked Milwaukee, Wis., Nov. 22, 1910. The foods of Thanksgiving haunt a boy's sleep in this nightmarish scene by illustrator H. B. Griggs (HBG). For two other Thanksgiving postcards by Griggs, see 'Rah, 'Rah, 'Rah, Thanksgiving!!! and Were It Not for Friday's Pain (below).

One in a series of patriotic Thanksgiving postcards depicting various diners at flag-draped tables. For another example, see Thanksgiving for Our Army and Navy Forever (below).

"Ice Cream and Cake Festival, to be held at the Sagon School House for the benefit of the Sagon Union Sunday School, Tuesday, February 17, 1914. Tickets, 15 cents."

A church Harvest Home display with jars containing recently harvested and canned fruits and vegetables. For similar photos, see my Harvest Home album.

Peach Festival Sponsored by the Women's Guild of Second Reformed Church, 45 South Sixth Street, Saturday, September 13, 1952, 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Baked ham supper, peaches and ice cream, novelties, cake and candy. Tickets good for anything on sale. Tickets - 10 cents. No. 3623.

Cracker Jack Riddle cards like this one were issued in sets of twenty in 1906. They included well-worn humorous riddles that circulated widely in books and newspapers at the time. A book of Conundrums, Riddles, and Puzzles by Dean Rivers that appeared in 1903, for instance, contained all the riddles on this card and probably most or all of the ones on the other nineteen cards. Cracker Jack It is not often one can find A candy good for body and mind, But our old doctor says it's true That "Cracker Jack" is good for you. This famous confection is manufactured from choice, wholesome materials and blended together in a scientific manner. Cracker Jack is a combination of candy, popcorn, and peanuts, and it is very nutritious as well as palatable. It is more easily digested and assimilated than richly made candies. It is good alike for young and old. The more you eat The more you want. Manufactured by Rueckheim Bros. & Eckstein, Chicago, U.S.A. See riddles on other side. "Cracker Jack" Riddles What relation is a door mat to a door step? A step farther. What is the difference between one yard and two yards? A fence. How do we know that Noah had a pig in the ark? Because he had Ham. When is money damp? When it is due in the morning and missed at night. What is the cheapest way to buy a fiddle? Buy a little medicine and get a vial in? How may book-keeping be taught in a lesson of three words? Never lend them. Why are records brittle things? Because they cannot be lowered without breaking. When did George Washington first take a carriage? When he took a hack at the cherry tree. What is the difference between forms and ceremonies? You sit upon one and stand on the other. Why do girls kiss each other and men not? Because girls have nothing better to kiss, and men have. Why were the brokers in the panic of 1873 like Pharaoh's daughter? They saved a little prophet from the rushes on the banks. Send name and address with 2c stamp and receive a full set (20 different kinds) of our famous "Cracker Jack" Riddle Cards.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of: And the band played on (people enjoying themselves while a band plays) . In this real photo postcard, musicians pretend to play an accordion, drum, and triangle in the midst of a group of young men, most of whom have flowers in their boutonnieres and mugs of beer in their hands. The German sign in the middle appears to say, "Jahrgang. 1895. Die Bassgeig kan̈ein jeder Kratzen selbst der Bär mit seinen Tatzen." But I haven't been able to determine what this means (something about a bass fiddle and a bear scratching himself with his paws?). In any case, I suspect that these guys enjoyed some more beer and music after they finished posing for the photo.

"'No thanks,' said Banks, I want Cruikshank Delicious Apple Butter. Cruikshank Bros. Co., Pittsburgh, Pa., U.S.A. Cubro Apple Butter. Net weight 2 lbs. avoir. H. Gamse & Bro. Litho., Balto., Md."

"Home Made Bean Soup, .25."