American Antiquarian Society

An excerpt from a press release issued earlier today...

“Worcester, MA (September 9, 2026)— A gift of more than 2,600 early American menus and related ephemera has significantly increased the American Antiquarian Society’s (AAS) menu collection, expanding its ability to preserve culinary and social history in the United States during the nineteenth century. Spanning from 1841 to 1900, the collection includes menus, invitations, seating charts, and trade cards from restaurants and private dining events across the country and world. Henry Voigt, a longtime collector and authority on American menus, donated the collection this spring…” 

Founded in 1812, the American Antiquarian Society is a national research library housing a vast collection of pre-twentieth-century American imprints, including books, pamphlets, broadsides, and newspapers. With its longstanding commitment to both preservation and scholarly access, it is an ideal home for my collection of nineteenth-century menus, which was assembled with future research in mind. The short video below introduces the AAS and highlights its vital work in preserving and making accessible the historical record of American life.

Moving forward, I will  continue to focus on the twentieth century. As the 1900s recede from living memory, the period increasingly enters the realm of historical study—an era to be examined, analyzed, and interpreted through the evidence it left behind.