Midcentury Menu: Dining in the Atomic Age

Rienzi, the MFAH house museum for European decorative arts, presents special exhibitions that are included with general admission. During August, Rienzi is closed.​​

The end of World War II ushered in an exciting era of economic prosperity and technological advancement that changed how Americans thought about food. Through popular media, particularly magazines and television, advertisers encouraged the use of technology to create the ideal home. They marketed a modern, aspirational lifestyle to women while promoting prepared foods and myriad new appliances celebrated for their convenience and efficiency.

Food and home entertaining took center stage in this new age of abundance, and a wide range of cookbooks promoted everything from curious Jell-O salads to international cuisine. Made possible by an elaborate supply chain and the latest technology, midcentury tables were filled with a wide variety of good that reflected changing tastes and ideas about modern living. Drawing from Rienzi’s historical cookbook collection and loans from the Heritage Society, this exhibition explores how convenience, technology, advertising, gender, and labor converged to redefine the meaning of food in postwar America.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website