Metal (tin) cans

In Collections: Feeding America: the Historic American Cookbook Project Museum Objects

Historical Note: Used for the the storage and preservation, this metal can is similar to the cans we find in today's stores. However, this can was sealed in a manner different from that we see today. The food to be preserved was placed inside the can and the lid to the can was soldered on by melting its of metal over the gap between the can and the lid. (Turn-of-the-century catalogs often advertised soldering kits for women's use in canning.) The lid was then sealed over with sealing wax which was melted in a cast iron pourer with spout and poured over the lid. This object includes a red box which contained the sealing wax, the small sauce pan like pourer in which the wax was melted, and the tin can. Around the top of the lid of the can are embossed the partial words for various fruits that were likely to be canned in these containers: elderberry, blackberry, raspberry, strawberry, tomatoes, peaches, quinces, rhubarb, grapes.

Related Items: Mason jars, available at: https://n2t.net/ark:/85335/m5v97zr6s
Still, available at: https://n2t.net/ark:/85335/m5cc0tt2s