Contact: Ellen Endslow at 610-692-4066 x 257
or eendslow@chestercohistorical.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lunch boxes sought for upcoming exhibit
at Chester County Historical Society
Bring the Beatles out of your basement. Get the Dukes of Hazzard down from the attic. And if you're lucky enough to have him there, you should certainly let Roy Rogers out from under the kitchen sink. That's because the Chester County Historical Society has a new exhibit being planned and it's asking the public to loan it some lunch boxes.
The Society wants to borrow a wide variety of lunch boxes to display in its upcoming exhibit Lunch Time!, which will open in September. Almost anything used to carry lunch is fair game, because lunch boxes have appeared in numerous forms over the decades.
Laborer's lunch pails first appeared in the second half of the 19th century and children's lunch boxes were first seen in the early 1900s. One early pop culture icon, Mickey Mouse, made his lunch box debut in 1935.
But there was a golden age of lunch boxes in the post-World War II era. Driven by television, the boxes boomed, and some 2.5 million were sold of a 1953 classic featuring Roy Rogers. Many baby boomers remember the plaid version from Aladdin that appeared in 1955, and the mid-1960s Beatles box is another fond memory. The boxes chronicled changing tastes in a fun way, and in time almost every celebrity ended up adorning one.
But the era came to an end. Vinyl boxes were popular for a short time—the pink Barbie box is one notable example—but times were changing, and the lunch box began a decline. However, nostalgia for the metal box is fueling a comeback, and there are lots of other ways to carry lunch with you today, from plastic Hello Kitty bags to the traditional Japanese bento box.
They're all eligible to be considered for Lunch Time! The Society welcomes your participation in this fun examination of popular culture, everyday life, and regional history. If you collect lunch boxes and Thermoses or still have some used by your family, the exhibit's curators want to hear from you. They are interested in lunch boxes used anywhere in any condition, for school or for work. Please contact Ellen Endslow at 610-692-4066 x 257 or eendslow@chestercohistorical.org.
The Chester County Historical Society is the region's pre-eminent portal to the past, housing more than three centuries of southeastern Pennsylvania history. Visitors can travel to the past in the Chester County Historical Society's History Center, located at 225 North High Street in downtown West Chester. Through museum exhibits, educational programs, extensive research facilities in the Society's Library and Archive, a unique Museum Shop, and special events, the Society provides the community with a connection to both its history and its heritage. A public parking garage is located immediately across the street on Chestnut Street. Metered on-street parking also is available. For additional information on this and other programs and services, visit us online at www.chestercohistorical.org, or call 610.692.4800. The museum is open 9:30a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and students, and $2.50 for children 6–17. CCHS members and children under six are admitted free.
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