Nahum (Nach) Waxman Collection of Food and Culinary Trade Cards, circa 1850-1900.
Collection Number: 8573

Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections
Cornell University Library

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY

Title:
Nahum (Nach) Waxman Collection of Food and Culinary Trade Cards, circa 1850-1900.
Repository:
Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections
Collection Number:
8573
Abstract:
The Nahum (Nach) Waxman Collection of Food and Culinary Trade Cards documents the history of food and household product industries through trade ephemera and advertising cards dating from the 1860s to the 1990s. It contains mainly trade cards, along with food labels, menus, advertising samples, culinary-themed print materials, and ephemera related to food, culinary, beverages, household and equipment, retail and commercial, agriculture, cigarettes, and more. The collection also offers insight into historical food marketing, consumer trends, and cultural representations of food products, including materials from Jewish businesses, Chinese cards, and examples of Black representations including racist imagery.
Creator:
Waxman, Nahum
Quanitities:
4.2 cubic feet.
Language:
Collection material in English
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Nahum (Nach) Waxman (1937-2021) was a collector of food and culinary cookbooks, trade cards and ephemera. In 1983, he opened the New York City bookstore Kitchen Arts and Letters, specializing in cookbooks, gastronomy, and food-related books and magazines from around the world. His collection spans over a century of promotional materials related to food, beverages, and household products, reflecting his deep interest in the visual and cultural history of food and drink. The materials assembled by Waxman include advertising samples, menus, and thousands of trade cards from a wide range of food-related industries and communities, including Jewish businesses and more.
COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

The Nahum (Nach) Waxman Collection of Food and Culinary Trade Cards documents the history of food and household product industries through trade ephemera and advertising cards dating from the 1860s to the 1990s. It contains mainly trade cards, along with food labels, menus, advertising samples, culinary-themed print materials, and ephemera related to food, culinary, beverages, household and equipment, retail, agriculture, cigarettes and more. The collection also offers insight into historical food marketing, consumer trends, and cultural representations of food products. Includes materials from Jewish businesses, Chinese advertising cards, and Black representation, some with racist and offensive imagery.
INFORMATION FOR USERS
Cite As:

Nahum (Nach) Waxman Collection of Food and Culinary Trade Cards, #8573. Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library.
SUBJECTS

Subjects:
Kitchens.
Food.
Cooking.
Agriculture.
Advertising
Form and Genre Terms:
Trade cards.
Advertising cards
CONTAINER LIST
Container
Description
Date
Agriculture
Box 1
Farming Equipment
Box 1
General
Box 1
Mowers and Harvesters
Box 1
Binders
Box 1
Plows
Box 1
Furnaces and Boilers
Box 1
Nails
Box 1
Fencing
Box 1
Other Farm Equipment
Box 1
Fertilizers
Box 1
Animal Seed
Box 1
Seed
Baking
Box 2
Grains
Box 2
Corn
Box 2
Oats
Box 2
Farinose, Avena
Box 2
Wheat
Box 2
Grain-Based Breakfast Foods
Box 2
Breakfast Cereals
Box 2
Pancakes and Waffles
Baking: Flours and Milling
Box 3
Wheat Flour
Box 3
Buckwheat Flour
Box 3
Flour Dealers
Baking: Rising Agents
Box 4
Baking Soda and Baking Powder (A-H)
Box 5
Baking Soda and Baking Powder (I-Z)
Box 6
Yeast
Box 6
Fleischmann
Box 6
Other Yeast Brands
Box 7
Bakeries
Box 7
Bakery Products
Box 7
Bread
Box 7
Cakes
Box 7
Biscuits (Cookies and Crackers)
Beverages: Nonalcoholic
Box 8
Sodas, Tonics, Phosphates
Beverages: Fermented and Distilled
Box 8
Whiskies, Brandies, Cordials, Allied Beverages
Box 8
Beer, Ale, Cider
Box 8
Wines,
Box 8
Still Wines
Box 8
Sparkling Wines, Champagne
Box 8
Alcoholic Beverage Sellers
Box 8
Bars, Sampling Rooms, Taverns, Alehouses, and Other Drinking Establishments
Box 8
Retail and Wholesale Dealers
Beverages: Coffee
Box 9
Coffee
Box 9
Coffee Brands
Box 9
Coffee and Tea Dealers
Box 9
Coffee Substitutes
Box 10
Arbuckle/Ariosa Coffee
Beverages: Tea
Box 11
Tea Brands
Box 11
Tea Houses and Tea Stores
Candy and Other Confections
Box 32
Candy and Confectionary Shops
Box 32
Chewing Gum
Chocolate
Box 33
Chocolate and Chocolate Producers
Box 33
Cocoa
Box 34
Stollwerck's Group 1-175
Box 35
Stollwerck's Group 176-496
Box 36
Poulain Chocolate Sets
Scope and Contents
This box contains a number of full and partial card sets for Chocolat Poulain.
Condiments
Box 12
Sauces, Dressings, Mustards, Ketchups
Dairy Products
Box 12
Milk and Butter, Cheese, Cream, Dairy Stores
Box 12
Condensed Milk
Extracts (Nutritional)
Box 12
Dairy-Based Extracts
Box 12
Grain-Based Extracts
Box 12
Imperial Granum
Box 12
Mellin's
Box 12
Ridge's
Box 12
Wells Richardson
Box 12
Other Grain-Based Extracts
Box 13
Meat-Based Extracts
Box 13
Liebig Extracts
Fats and Oils
Box 14
Butter Substitutes and Shortenings
Box 14
Lard
Box 14
Fairbanks
Box 14
Naphey's
Box 14
Oils
Box 14
Olive Oil
Box 14
Vegetable Oils
Fish and Seafood
Box 15
Fish
Box 15
Clams
Box 15
Lobsters
Box 15
Oysters and Oyster Houses
Box 15
Fishmongers, Seafood Dealers
Flavorings
Box 16
Spices and Flavoring Extracts
Box 17
Salt
Box 17
Sweeteners
Box 17
Sugars
Box 17
Syrups
Box 17
Honey
Box 17
Vinegars
Box 17
Alden's
Box 17
Other Vinegar Brands
Fruit and Fruit Products
Box 18
Preserves, Extracts, Dried Fruits, Juices, Syrups
Gelatin and Gelatin Products
Box 18
Jell-O
Box 18
Other Gelatin Brands
Grocery Stores I
Box 19
Independent Grocers
Box 20
Chain Grocers
Box 20
Grand Union Tea Co.
Box 20
Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (A & P)
Box 20
Great Japan and London Tea Co.
Box 20
Great London Tea Co.
Box 20
Union Pacific Tea Co.
Household: Kitchen Equipment and Tableware
Box 21
Small Appliances and Kitchen Tools
Box 21
Stoves
Box 21
Iceboxes and Refrigerators
Box 21
Ironware
Box 21
Tableware
Household: Maintenance
Box 22
Clothing Care
Box 22
Laundry Soap
Box 22
Clothes Wringers
Box 22
Irons
Box 22
Laundry Starch
Box 22
Sewing Machines
Box 22
Dyes
Box 22
Lawn Care
Box 22
Cleansing Agents
Box 22
Soaps, Solvents, Polishes
Ice Cream
Box 22
Ice Cream Shops and Parlors
Box 22
Ice Cream Freezers and Other Equipment
Meat
Box 23
Canned Meats
Box 23
Fairbank
Box 23
Hammond
Box 23
Libby, McNeill & Libby
Box 23
St. Louis Beef
Box 23
Wilson's Beef
Box 23
Other Canned Meat Brands
Box 23
Preserved Meat Products
Box 23
Cured Hams, Sausages, Luncheon Meats
Box 24
Meat Retail Shops (Butchers)
Box 24
Meat Packers and Wholesalers
Box 24
Libby, McNeill & Libby
Box 24
St. Louis Beef
Box 24
Swift & Company
Box 24
Other Meat Packers
Mince Meat and Plum Pudding
Box 24
Atmore's
Box 24
Other Mince Meat Brands
Medicinals
Box 25
Remedies and Other Medicinal Products (A-J)
Box 25
Ayer's
Box 25
Carter's
Box 25
Hood's
Box 25
Horsford's
Box 25
Other Remedies and Other Medicinal Products
Box 26
Remedies and Other Medicinal Products (K-Z)
Box 26
Lydia Pinkham's
Box 26
Remedies and Other Medicinal Products
Box 26
Hair Care
Box 26
Dental Care
Preserves, Extracts, Dried Fruits, Juices, Syrups
Box 27
Pickles and Relishes
Box 27
Sweet Conserves
Scope and Contents
For additional fruit preserves, see Box 18.
Box 27
Canned Products and Canning
Restaurants
Box 27
Restaurants, Lunch Rooms, Dining Rooms, Coffee Rooms, Ladies' Lunch Rooms, Cafes, Coffee Saloons, Pavilions, Dining Parlors, Dining and Oyster Saloons, and Other Dining Establishments
Box 28
Scent
Box 37
Scrapbook of Assorted Trade Cards
Box 28
Seed and Nut Foods
Box 28
Coconuts
Box 28
Peanuts and Tree Nuts
Box 28
Soup
Starch
Scope and Contents
From donor: This category unavoidably merges alimentary starches, used in cooking, and laundry starches, used in ironing. Nearly ever manufacturer produced both of these products, and much of their advertising promotes brand rather than one or the other type of starch.
Box 28
Alimentary and Laundry Starch
Stoves
Scope and Contents
From donor: This category merges two pieces of equipment that were distinguished in the 19th and early 20th centuries -- stoves, primarily for heating, and ranges, used primarily for cooking.
Box 29
Wood and Coal Stoves (A-J)
Box 30
Wood and Coal Stoves (K-Z)
Box 30
Oil and Gas Stoves
Box 30
Stove Accessories
Box 30
Stove Linings
Box 30
Stove Polishes
Box 30
Stove Dealers
Box 31
Thurbers'
Scope and Contents
From donor: This is a brand name, the only one given its own place in this list of categories. Thurbers', one of the leading users of handsomely designed trade cards, was the brand of H. K. & F. B. Thurber & Co., founded in 1875 and known after 1884 as Thurber, Whyland, & Co. A world-known company, with branches in London and Bordeaux, it produced and distributed a wide variety of goods, ranging from canned fruits, vegetables, and meat to soaps, coffee, dairy goods, and flavoring extracts.
Box 31
Vegetable People
Scope and Contents
From donor: A special design category, cutting across a wide variety of subjects. Popular from the early days of American trade cards, these caricatures employ the images of vegetables or fruit to which are added arms, legs, and facial features to portray humanlike figures. They remain a favorite of collections.
Box 31
Water and Ice
Box 38 Folder 1
Agricultural, imported, beverage, and household products
 1880s
Box 38 Folder 2
Baking, minced meat, Tea, agricultural products, beverages
 1960s-1890s
Box 38 Folder 3
Chinese cards
 undated
Box 38 Folder 4
Cornell menus
 1885-1907; 1988
Box 38 Folder 5
Dry foods, beverages, colonial and imported products and more
 1906-1941
Box 38 Folder 6-7
Food, culinary, and household machines
 1860s-1890s
Box 38 Folder 8
Ice-cream Packing
 undated
Box 38 Folder 9
Jewish businesses
 undated
Scope and Contents
Shoes, Clothes, Jewelry, Wineries and more
Box 38 Folder 10
Print samples featuring food and a menu in French language
 undated
Box 38 Folder 11
Trade cards on sports, patriotic, Jumbo, animals, Christmas, Nelly Bly, and more.
 1884-1990s
Box 38 Folder 12
Waxman Black representation, racist images
 1860s-1890s
Scope and Contents
Title supplied by the donor. Included a handwritten note from the dealer who sold the cards to the donor in 2010.
Box 38 Folder 13
Waxman ephemera
 1904-1927, 1964
Scope and Contents
Cocktail manuals, recipes; Instructions
Box 38 Folder 14
Waxman ephemera
 1931-1932, undated
Scope and Contents
Ads with Kellogg's; Chocolate, coffee; Cereal and more
Box 39 Folder 1
Cigarette advertising
 1923-1943
Box 39 Folder 2
Food labels
 undated
Box 39 Folder 3
Food ephemera
 1890-1936
Box 39 Folder 4
Menu's from two Atlantic crossings on the French line in the summer of 1960
 1960
Box 38 Folder 15
Trade cards. Topical Section I-VI
 undated
Scope and Contents
Fashion and Style (I), Leisure recreation and the Cultured life (II), Traditional values (III), Men and women (IV), Ourserlves and Others (V), Food and Health (VI). Plus a folder "Trade Cards for intro".