Uncle Sam Ice Cream Mold
name: label: maker
content: Eppelsheimer & Co.
notes: label: Description
content: This mold representing Uncle Sam is one of 14 pewter ice cream molds donated to the Museum in 1972 by the wholesale distribution company Foremost-McKesson, Inc., of San Francisco, California. Other forms include a butterfly, a dolphin, a lion, and other patriotic symbols such as an eagle, the Liberty Bell, and George Washington in Profile.
label: Description
content: Molded ice cream was a popular treat in the United States from the 1870s to 1950s, with a boom in ice cream consumption driving increases in mold manufacturing between 1921 and 1925. The Eighteenth Amendment, prohibiting the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages from 1920 until it was repealed in 1933, sparked an increase in consumer demand for such things as soft drinks, ice cream, and confections. Indeed, ice cream consumption increased by over 100 million gallons between 1921 and 1929.
label: Description
content: Unlike the majority of the molds in the collection, which were manufactured by Eppelsheimer & Co. of New York, this cast was created by an unidentified manufacturer. These hinged molds, dating from the 1920s and 30s, while still functional, can no longer be used due to the lead content in the pewter.
label: Description
content: The exterior of the mold is stamped with the product catalogue number, “1073.” While the mold’s exterior is otherwise nondescript, the interior, where the ice cream was poured and frozen, clearly depicts a classic Uncle Sam, including pinstripe pants, coat tails, and top hat. Once frozen, ice cream makers could embellish their confections by painting on a layer of food coloring. These individual molded ice creams would then be served on special occasions or holidays, such as 4th of July. As American holidays became more commercialized in the early twentieth century, the demand for variety in ice cream molds increased, as is apparent in the collection. However, technological advancements in ice cream manufacturing, the development of ice cream novelties such as the Eskimo Pie and the Popsicle, and the advent of packaged ice creams available in groceries, transformed ice cream in the eye of the American public from a seasonal or specialty dish into an everyday treat. As such, molded ice creams fell out of fashion by the 1950s.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York, New York City
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Food Technology
label: See more items in
content: Food
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Foremost-McKesson, Inc.
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: AG.72A1.10
label: catalog number
content: 72A1.10
label: accession number
content: 298969
objectType: label: Object Name
content: ice cream mold, Uncle Sam
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: pewter (overall material)