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.
Summer fruits
Visual Materials
Image of a cluster of fruit, including apples, pears, berries, cherries, and grapes.
priJLC_FOOD_001993
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
Visual Materials
[Food presentations prepared with electric appliances] [with 131 variants]
photCL SCE 06 - 72676
Image not available
A collection of the engraved works of this master [graphic] : including all the more celebrated sets of engravings, the "Marriage a-la-mode," "Rake's Progress," "Harlot's Progress," and "Industry and Idleness," etc. ..., 1725-1764
Rare Books
125154
Image not available
Post cards of a tourist (Mr. "Skinny" East) ; cartoons of southern California
Rare Books
351476
Image not available
Sixty-five delicious dishes made with bread : containing tested recipes compiled for the Fleischmann Co
Rare Books
641065
![Etude de la bière No. 1 ... et de la bière No. 5 ... [page of notes regarding beer]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Frail.huntington.org%2FIIIF3%2FImage%2F22APN45TD623%2Ffull%2F%5E360%2C%2F0%2Fdefault.jpg&w=750&q=75)
Etude de la bière No. 1 ... et de la bière No. 5 ... [page of notes regarding beer]
Manuscripts
mssHM 80962
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Visual Materials
The Willows (fast food restaurant) Burgers & malts - 20 cents - [with 5 variants]
photCL SCE 06 - 70549
Strawberry Ranch
Visual Materials
Strawberry pickers in a field of strawberries with flats of fruit in the foreground.
photCL Pierce 06639
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
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)
![[Food]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Frail.huntington.org%2FIIIF3%2FImage%2F22APN4KXVC72%2Ffull%2F%5E360%2C%2F0%2Fdefault.jpg&w=750&q=75)
[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]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Frail.huntington.org%2FIIIF3%2FImage%2F22APN4KJJUU3%2Ffull%2F%5E360%2C%2F0%2Fdefault.jpg&w=750&q=75)
[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]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Frail.huntington.org%2FIIIF3%2FImage%2F22APN4KJ8SXJ%2Ffull%2F%5E360%2C%2F0%2Fdefault.jpg&w=750&q=75)
[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