5k menus from the New York Public Library’s Buttolph Collection (1880-1920)
A new interactive project showcases 5,000 digitized restaurant menus from the New York Public Library’s Buttolph Collection (circa 1880–1920), revealing how surprisingly familiar many dining experiences look today, from menu layout to staple dishes. Commenters highlight both continuities and shifts: ingredients like oysters, turtle, mutton, tongue, and celery were once ubiquitous delicacies, while today’s globalized and “ethnic” offerings are largely absent, and historical prices remain striking even after inflation adjustment. The thread also touches on the value of such archives and visualizations for understanding everyday history, alongside mixed reactions to the site’s interface and performance.
Continuity vs. Change in Dining
- Many menus from 1880–1920 feel surprisingly modern; commenters note similar overall dining experiences across time.
- Others argue this obscures big differences in non-shared dimensions of life (health, tech, social context).
- Historical menus with printed cards were likely middle/upper-class artifacts or for private events, not representative of all dining.
Menu Items, Trends, and Ingredients
- Common historical dishes now rare or “foodie” items: turtle and mock turtle soup, sweetbreads, venison, mutton, tongue, green turtle, and “boiled” categories (often braises/poaches).
- Oysters and clams frequently lead menus; one explanation is that oysters were once cheap, popular, and nutritious, later constrained by overfishing/pollution.
- Celery appears constantly, even as a standalone appetizer and in special vases; it was once a cultivated delicacy and is reportedly the fourth most common menu item after coffee, tea, and olives.
- Menus are overwhelmingly Euro-American; commenters note near-total absence of Asian, Mexican, Italian items compared to present-day LA.
- Some are amused by period specifics like hot beef tea, Marmite on a fancy NYC menu, and “meaningful” ice cream flavors versus today’s more experimental combinations.
Prices and Economics
- Initial confusion over prices (cents vs dollars) leads to shock when run through inflation calculators.
- Some items look cheap even in 2026 dollars; others seem very expensive, likely reflecting restaurant status and captive clientele.
- Low absolute prices create interesting margin dynamics for dishes.
Printed vs. QR-Code Menus Today
- One commenter claims printed menus in Europe have largely been replaced by QR codes post-COVID; others strongly dispute this.
- Consensus: QR usage is highly regional and venue-dependent; many areas still rely mostly on physical menus, though QR codes are common in some locales.
Data, Visualization, and UX
- Strong praise for the interactive visualization and overall storytelling.
- Also significant frustration: slow performance, mobile crashes, high CPU use, tap-to-click issues, confusing navigation, and difficulty linking individual menus.
- The site uses a product from soot.com for the visualization; some compare it to Zegami.
- Underlying NYPL data was manually transcribed and verified; the original “What’s on the Menu” interface is retired but data remains available.
Related Resources and Side Tangents
- Multiple recommendations: other historical menu/restaurant blogs and NYPL’s menu datasets.
- Some share personal collections of 19th-century menus or cookbooks and note how special-event menus were often saved.
- A long tangent explores bar billing customs using coasters/plates/skewers in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Brazil, dim sum, and conveyor-belt sushi, including legal and cultural details.