American Museum of Natural History Research Library
author: American Museum of Natural History

Food Values and Economics (Exhibition)
birth: 1917 May 23
death: 1917 September-October, approximately
Exhibition. Opened May 23, 1917 and closed approximately September-October 1917. Located in Section 2, Floor 1 in Memorial Hall at the American Museum of Natural History. Food Values and Economics at the American Museum of Natural History illustrated issues concerning food conservation.
Summary
Food Values and Economics illustrated issues concerning food conservation. It featured models, including those of 100-calorie portions of common foods and an exhibit on corn and corn products. Artists A.M. Renaud and Christian Jaegar created the food models for the exhibit. Curator of Public Health C-E.A. Winslow wrote a companion handbook, Health in War and Peace. The exhibition was slated to close a month after opening, but references to the exhibit in the "foyer" continued into October 1917 (1, 357-358; 2, p. 420). It was curated by C-E A. Winslow and Thomas G. Hull of the Department of Public Health (3, 1917, p. 96). Winslow was given leave of absence in June 1917 to accept an appointment as Deputy Commissioner and member of the American Red Cross Mission to Russia, and Thomas G. Hull was asked by President Herbert C. Hoover to be appointed as Chief of the Division of Exhibits of the United States Food Administration (3, 1917, p. 96).
The exhibition was created to illustrate the problems of food conservation in the United States and the world and was considered a contribution by the Museum to the National Defense Council in preparing for the country's entry into the First World War (4, p. 295).
Models by Museum artist A.M. Renaud were made with paraffin, plaster, and agar-agar (Japanese seaweed). Some were cast in wax and painted with oil colors (1, p. 357-358). In October 1917 another set of models donated by M.J. Roth of the Plastic Art Novelty and Specialty Company in New York consisted of 74 models of 100-calorie portions of food made by Christian Jaegar (2, p. 420).
Highlights included (2, p. 420; 3, 1917, p. 97):
*Food models by Museum artist A.M. Renaud
*Food models by Christian Jaegar donated by M.J. Roth of the Plastic Art Novelty and Specialty Company
*An exhibit demonstrating the value of the corn crop featuring 22 products presented by the Corn Product Refining Company
*Unutilized food stuffs including seaweeds, marine mollusks, shark, and skate
*Photographs, models, and specimens illustrating food production problems
*Statistical diagrams and color cartoons by A. Operti illustrating food conservation challenges during war
After its original run in the Museum's Memorial Hall, the exhibition was transferred to Washing Irving High School and exhibited for two months, followed by installation in the Lincoln Corridor of the College of the City of New York on December 15, 1917. (3, 1917, p. 96). It was on view in Grand Central Station in New York City in the spring of 1918 and later became part of Grand Central Palace's food show. Afterward, the exhibition returned to the Museum to become part of the Forestry Hall (5, p. 623). The Food Needs and Food Economics section of the Hall of Public Health developed from the temporary exhibition, opened approximately 1919, and remained on view until the hall's closure in approximately 1943-1944 (6, 1919, p. 29; 6, 1943, p. 174; 3, 1918, p. 91-94).
This is a condensed summary of the exhibition. For additional information, see Sources and/or Related Resources.
1917 May 23Food Values and Economics exhibition opens in Memorial Hall
1917 October, approximatelyFood models by Christian Jaeger donated to exhibition by M.J. Roth of Plastic Art Novelty and Specialty Company, New York.
1917 December 15Exhibition opens in the Lincoln Corridor of the College of the City of New York
1918, SpringExhibition opens in Grand Central Station.
1918, approximatelyExhibition opens in Grand Central Palace for food show following installation in Grand Central Station.
1918 November, approximatelyFood exhibits from original exhibition return to the Museum and are installed in the Forestry Hall.