Subseries A: Billheads
Scope and Content
This collection includes five series of kitchen equipment, Housewares, Kitchen Appliances, Kitchen Accessories and Designs, Ranges, Stoves, and Ovens, and Other items. Items range from the Antebellum era to the early 2000s. The majority of items are from the United States, with some pieces from Canada, England, France, Germany, and Spain. Items include sales and promotional materials such as catalogs, product cookbooks, brochures, trade cards, coupons, handbills, broadsides, and billheads. The collection also has a safety grater with its original packaging and a pie rimmer, crimper, and pastry cutter with an illustrated broadside. Many cookbooks were written for specific appliance products that include details on the appliance. Appliance directions and maintenance manuals are within the collection. Materials provide insight into consumer culture, technology, and history of gender, race, class, sanitation, marketing, and graphic design.
Some materials include racialized depictions of African Americans and Asians, and a statement of such is marked next to each material.
Dates
- Majority of material found within 1847 - 1977
Language of Materials
Majority of materials in this collection are in English. Some materials are in German, French, Italian, or Spanish.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Extent
From the Collection: 1.8 Cubic Feet (2 boxes)
Bibliography
- "Paris Flat Top and Favorita Upper Oven Ranges." (1886)
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech Repository
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu