
Picnics
10 artifacts in this set
This expert set is brought to you by:
The staff at The Henry Ford
Family Picnic, circa 1935
Photographic print
The family in this photograph was well prepared when they headed out for a travel outing around 1935.
Trade Card for Crown Sewing Machines and Florence Oil Stoves, Florence Machine Company, circa 1880
Trade card
This circa 1880 trade card, advertising Crown sewing machines and Florence oil stoves, suggests that a good time could be had by all if the picnic included food cooked on a Florence oil stove.
Group Eating Clams and Lobster at a Picnic, circa 1900
Photographic print
The people seated at the picnic table in this circa 1900 photograph are enjoying a clam steam, a particular favorite in New England. The meal often also included other shellfish and sweet corn.
Henry Ford, Warren Harding and Others Dining on a "Vagabonds" Camping Trip, 1921
Photographic print
Even the rich and famous could enjoy an outdoor picnic, especially if served at a large Lazy-Susan table under a shady canvas cover. This 1921 photograph, taken during a "Vagabonds" camping trip in Hagerstown, Maryland, includes: Henry Ford and his wife Clara, son Edsel, and Edsel’s wife Eleanor; Thomas Edison and his wife Mina; Harvey Firestone and his wife Elizabeth Parke; President Warren G. Harding; and several others.
Bay West Wash-Up Kit, circa 1925
Kit (Set)
Decades before pre-packaged moist towelettes came on the market, this circa 1925 Wash-Up Kit allowed picnickers to wash and dry their hands before eating--with a paper sheet that magically turned into soap when moistened and a set of paper towels.
Roadside Picnic, circa 1930
Photographic print
The family in this circa 1930 photograph was undeterred by the lack of restaurants along the highway. Like other motorists, they stopped along the side of the road and ate a meal they had packed themselves.
Ford Charcoal Briquets and Packaging, 1935-1937
Briquets (Fuel)
Ford Motor Company’s charcoal briquettes, produced in the 1930s from the wood wastes of its lumber operations in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, claimed to be safe, smokeless, and convenient--ideal for picnickers wanting to grill outdoors.
Family Grilling Hot Dogs on a Picnic in Colorado's Rocky Mountain Country, 1955
Photographic print
The picnickers in this 1955 publicity photograph are enjoying campstove-cooked hot dogs in the remote Colorado Rockies.
Fisher-Price "Picnic Basket" Play Set, 1975
Toy (Recreational artifact)
Kids could enjoy their own "Teddy Bear picnic" with this 1975 Fisher-Price playset--complete with a plastic hinged-lid picnic basket, dishes, and a tablecloth.
Poster, "Herman Miller Summer Picnic, 1985"
Poster
This striking 1985 poster is one of a series of 20 that graphic designer Stephen Frykholm created for the annual company picnics of Herman Miller, Inc.--a company renowned for its "modern" furniture.