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Food & Drink


From the crops we grow to the meals on our tables, food and drink are an essential part of our daily lives, just as they have been in all cultures and periods. Our collections offer countless ways to consider what fuels and feeds us. Included in this group is just a small taste of what The Huntington has on the menu. Take a look and discover the evolution of culinary culture across the decades. 

Art Museum
Botanical Gardens
Library
Summer fruits

Summer fruits

Visual Materials

Image of a cluster of fruit, including apples, pears, berries, cherries, and grapes.

priJLC_FOOD_001993

McPherson brand. California raisins

McPherson brand. California raisins

Visual Materials

Image of a label for McPherson Brand raisins; an elevated view of the town of McPherson, California, created by the McPherson Brothers packing company in the 1880s (now Orange, California) surrounded by fields full of grape vines with mountains in background; decorative border of grapes and vines.

priJLC_FOOD_FtVeg_001952

Food presentations prepared

Food presentations prepared

Visual Materials

[Food presentations prepared with electric appliances] [with 131 variants]

photCL SCE 06 - 72676

Still Life with Telephone

Still Life with Telephone

Paintings

Luigi Lucioni

2006.7

Grapes

Grapes

Drawings

William Henry Hunt

59.55.748

Untitled

Untitled

Drawings

Morris and Company, Unknown

2000.5.79

Jar

Jar

Decorative arts

O.L. & A.K. Ballard

2016.25.10

Lemon processing plant making and canning lemonade concentrate

Lemon processing plant making and canning lemonade concentrate

Visual Materials

Lemon processing plant making and canning lemonade [concentrate]. Men working on assembly lines [with 3 variants]

photCL SCE 06 - 70461

Cactus brand oranges

Cactus brand oranges

Visual Materials

Image of orange groves and mountains and a cactus plant with red flowers; large orange with blossoms in foreground.

ephCL C_3

Henriot & Co. Rheims champagne

Henriot & Co. Rheims champagne

Visual Materials

Image of a advertisement for Henriot & Co. Rheims champagne with a coupe glass and two bottles of champagne on a windowsill with bunches of grapes; bird flying just outside window with lake and mountain landscape in background.

priJLC_BEV_003490

See's Candy Co., 519 West Washington, Los Angeles. 1931

See's Candy Co., 519 West Washington, Los Angeles. 1931

Visual Materials

Two women work at candy making stations in See's Candy Co., located at 519 West Washington in Los Angeles. They are both wearing white uniforms and caps with "Quality first" stitched along the front. The nearer woman has what looks like a tray of cherries and a bowl of white stuff for dipping at her left hand, and a sheet with drying candies at her right. There are two trays of completed candies on the front of the table.

photCL Whitt 1350 ; Whitt neg. 0543

National Biscuit Company choice American export soda biscuit

National Biscuit Company choice American export soda biscuit

Visual Materials

Image of an advertisement for Choice American Biscuits by the National Biscuit Company of New York, New York; can of biscuits at left, decorative borders and floral background.

priJLC_FOOD_003795

Chamber of Commerce display of large fruits and vegetables

Chamber of Commerce display of large fruits and vegetables

Visual Materials

A display of vegetables with a man holding a squash marked to indicate scale. The display includes a variety of vegetables, including squash, potatoes, onions, and corn.

photCL Pierce 06681

Bininger's old Kentucky bourbon 1849 reserve

Bininger's old Kentucky bourbon 1849 reserve

Visual Materials

Image of sheaves of grain in a field with a scythe on the ground surrounded by text and a scrollwork border advertising Bininger's Kentucky bourbon.

priJLC_BEV_001848

Picture story of milk in Los Angeles County

Picture story of milk in Los Angeles County

Visual Materials

A photo album with 79 images telling the story of milk production in Los Angeles County. There were two images attached to each page with typewritten captions on the page.

photCL 396

The Willows Burgers & malts

The Willows Burgers & malts

Visual Materials

The Willows (fast food restaurant) Burgers & malts - 20 cents - [with 5 variants]

photCL SCE 06 - 70549

Image not available

Horticultural art journal

Rare Books

192943

Strawberry Ranch

Strawberry Ranch

Visual Materials

Strawberry pickers in a field of strawberries with flats of fruit in the foreground.

photCL Pierce 06639

Image not available

Horticultural art journal

Rare Books

192943

Indian corn and apples

Indian corn and apples

Visual Materials

Image of a fold-out print on a sample book page featuring several apples and cobs of corn spilling from a basket next to a pitcher.

priJLC_PRG_002071

Ralph's Grocery apple display, 181 North Lake, Pasadena. 1939

Ralph's Grocery apple display, 181 North Lake, Pasadena. 1939

Visual Materials

Large display of apples in the produce section of Ralph's Grocery at 181 North Lake. Some apples are sold loose but many are in five pound bags. An advertisement hanging over the display has a picture of a girl and reads "Washington State Apples now in - ask for delicious". Another sign advertises for "Apple health salads - easy to make with "delicious apples" and Best Foods real mayonnaise. Other items surrounding the apples are mayonnaise, melba toast, butter sprays, and wheat soda crackers.

photCL 402 (35907)

Still Life (for cover of Citrograph Magazine)

Still Life (for cover of Citrograph Magazine)

Paintings

Richard Leroy Corbaley

2007.25

Citrus aurantium 'Chinotto'

Citrus aurantium 'Chinotto'

Plants

Rue Family

40992

Cola acuminata

Cola acuminata

Plants

Cacao Family

92500

Diospyros kaki 'Hachiya'

Diospyros kaki 'Hachiya'

Plants

Ebony Family

2316

Schinus molle

Schinus molle

Plants

Sumac Family

121279

[Food]

[Food]

Visual Materials

Views of miscellaneous food servings, some with table settings. Images include picnic food, fish, hors d'oeuvres and fruit pie.

photCL MLP 3904

[Tables, centerpieces, and decorations]

[Tables, centerpieces, and decorations]

Visual Materials

Images of set tables, buffets, centerpieces, flower arrangements, and sometimes food. Includes a few miscellaneous images of decorative accessories used as cabinet door handles and drawer pulls.

photCL MLP 1555

[Tables, centerpieces, and decorations]

[Tables, centerpieces, and decorations]

Visual Materials

Images of set tables, buffets, centerpieces, flower arrangements, and sometimes food. Includes a few miscellaneous images of decorative accessories used as cabinet door handles and drawer pulls.

photCL MLP 1555