These days, the typical American Thanksgiving menu is pretty standardized: turkey, stuffing, potatoes, pie. Back in the late 19th century, when the holiday’s status as a national observance was still relatively new, those dishes were already being consumed but holiday menus of the time could show a little variety. For example, on Nov. 30, 1899, at the Plaza Hotel, you could get turkey stuffed with chestnuts for $0.75—or sweetbreads, cooked “Parisienne” style, for a dollar.
That Plaza menu is just one of many historical bills of fare that have been digitized by the New York Public Library’s “
What’s on the Menu?” project. The Library has 45,000 menus dating as far back as the 1840s. Below is a selection of 30 amazing vintage Thanksgiving menus from the late 19th century (click on each image to view it larger):
 |
| Hotel Duquesne, 1889 |
 |
| Hotel Normandie, 1889 |
 |
| Murray Hill Hotel, 1891 |
 |
| Occidental Hotel, 1891 |
 |
| The Portland, 1891 |
 |
| Hotel Roanoke, 1895 |
 |
| Hotel Vendome, 1895 |
 |
| The Jackson, 1895 |
 |
| Butterfield, 1896 |
 |
| Windsor, 1896 |
 |
| Hotel Algazar, 1897 |
 |
| Hotel Windermere, 1897 |
 |
| Burnet House, 1898 |
 |
| City Hotel, 1898 |
 |
| Duncan Hotel, 1898 |
 |
| Grand Hotel, 1898 |
 |
| Great Southern Fireproof Hotel, 1898 |
 |
| Southern Hotel, 1898 |
 |
| St. George Hotel, 1898 |
 |
| Wyoming Valley Hotel, 1898 |
 |
| Ashton Hotel, 1899 |
 |
| Briggs House, 1899 |
 |
| Broadway Central Hotel, 1899 |
 |
| C. & N. W. Passenger Station, 1899 |
 |
| Hotel Roanoke, 1899 |
 |
| Hotel St. James, 1899 |
 |
| Majestic Hotel, 1899 |
 |
| Plaza Hotel, 1899 |
 |
| Quincy House, 1899 |
 |
| Sturtevant House, 1899 |
0 comments:
Post a Comment