lunch box

[The Wolf]

How would an office worker carry his lunch in the 1930s or 1940s?
I presume he wouldn't use one of those black metal lunch boxes with the curved top and the clasp on the front that steel workers used.
I don't think they always went to the automat.
I seem to recall that if you ordered lunch to take out from a restaurant they boxed and tied it with string like a cake box.
I remember sandwiches used to be wrapped in waxed paper before sandwich bags became the vogue.
Now that I've conjectured I'm left with my original thought:
How would an office worker...

A howl tears through the night,
The Wolf

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

I have wondered this myself, actually. I don't know the answer though. Perhaps a paper bag?

 

[Dismuke]

I have wondered this myself, actually. I don't know the answer though. Perhaps a paper bag?

I know for a fact that using a paper bag was done and have read about two rather prominent businessmen from the era who were known to bring their lunch from home in a paper bag.

As to what else they used, I am not sure. A quick look at my 1933 Sears Catalog did not provide any clues.

 

[Mycroft]

I beleve it is mixed, depending on the job, because Elliot Ness in the Untouchables has a paper bag, but I have heard engineers have metal ones.

 

[The Wolf]

thanks

Thanks for all the responses.
After reading Dismuke's response I pulled out my 1943 Sears, Roebuck and below "Sears Tower brand sanitary waxed Sandwich bags" I found "Water-resistant Process Utility Bags" which said "...use for packing lunches...sick-room waste containers." To which I say, don't mix up which bag is which.

The Wolf

 

[matei]

My grandfather had a metal lunchbox that looked kinda like a bucket - it wasn't the type mentioned above. He'd had if for ages and ages, and I've not seen one like it since.

It was like an oval shaped, small bucket. I believe that the whole top came off. There were two claps that kept it together.

 

[BellyTank]

Lunch Pail...

...sounds like a Lunch pail in it's classic sense. Pail/Bucket-
Remember on 'Little House on the Prairie'? the kids used to take a luch pail to the Walnut Creek school. If you ever saw that...

I guess an office worker of the Golden Era might carry his lunch in his attache case- if he has an attache case. I guess a lot of office workers would have carried a bag or case of some sort to work... When I was a school-kid, I carried my lunch in a lunchbox inside my schoolbag- I kind of do the same thing today.

But Workmen?

You know that famous print/poster of the workmen working on the Rockefeller building in 1932?
This one-

I seemed to remember the toolbox style metal lunchboxes but can't actually see any in the photo...
They seem to have cardboard sandwich/catering boxes.

This is what I think of when I think vintage workman's lunchbox-

...or like the one below at the man's foot-

Vintage Thermos brand lunchboxes on eBay-
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=7270&item=6179696783&rd=1
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=1410&item=6179665939&rd=1


I like those- I want one now...
B
T

 

[Biltmore Bob]

I believe that picture, the one with the workers on high steel, is entitled "Ironworkers". Actually the Ironworkers union uses it in their liteature and campaigns.

I love that poster. Of course I'm a recent Newsboy Cap convert...

 

[BellyTank]

That one was posted with you in mind Bob-
Thought you'd like it, it's a classic.

B
T

 

[scotrace]

Maybe This is The Ticket

This is new, but pretty nifty, methinks.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=1410&item=6180829115&rd=1

 

[The Wingnut]

Office workers likely would take lunch at the local diner, if they didn't pack it. Who wouldn't want to eat out in the days of $0.15 steak dinners?

Use a paper bag, with waxed paper to wrap all the items, I'd say. The lunchbox is a blue-collar item.

I should buy the lunchbox I used on the Doolittle Raid episode of Man, Moment, Machine. A little battered, but classic. Still sitting on the shelf in the antique shop.

 

[Michaelson]

Use a paper bag, with waxed paper to wrap all the items, I'd say. The lunchbox is a blue-collar item.

Not necessarily so. My Dad worked on the railroad through the end of the 40's, but took another job with Goodyear Atomic in the early 50's as an accounts payable clerk. He carried his old metal lunchbox from his railroad days right into his white collar job, and carried it until he retired in the mid 1980's. So did most of his co-workers, so metal lunch boxes were just as much at home with the white collor workers as the blue, or were in my neck of the woods.

Regards! Michaelson

 

[Yzerman]

I am new here so not sure if I should start a new topic just for this with my photos or continue on here.
Very interesting stuff on here I could read this all day. I am fascinated with history and the early 1900s way of life. I just read the long forum (68 pages)
with all the vintage telephones.
Anyway, I picked up this lunch box, typical black metal with curved top, but I was surprised to see the 3 strap leather handle. It definitley looks original, but I was wondering if someone could tell me if it is? Would they have made them like this from the factory?

 

[DanielJones]

I just purchased this one on ebay. An old Thermos dome top lunch box. Yeah it has a bunch of stuff on the outside but I think I can get that stuff off and repaint it. The inside looks pretty good and rust free. the attachments I think I can clean up with a little Brasso and steel wool.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150640827103&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_500wt_1413

My Pop had one in the raw aluminum that I now have. The thing is, I wanted to give that one a paint job but my Pop had put some of his art works and I could never ever bring myself to paint it over. Ever!
So I figure the next best thing is to get me a vintage one, clean & repaint that for daily use. What I may do too is where one would slip a piece of paper with ones name on it on the side, I'll paint that area an antique white and stencil in my initials. Then I would like to find a vintage Western Electric Bell Systems sticker or decal to add to the lunch box in memory of my Pop. If not that, then maybe I'll try my hand at doing sone pin striping on the side of the lid.

The red handle broke on my Pops, so what I'll do is create a leather one out of some bridal leather I have and replace what is left. Should look pretty unique.

I'll be sure to post some pics once I am done with this little project.

My next purchase is going to be a NOS plaid thermos that will fit inside this lunch box. There are a couple that I have seen on ebay, but I am open to any suggestions for other places to purchase something like that.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Mine is not nearly as old, but I do carry my lunch box with me every day to the plant.

Remember these? They've given them a face-lift now and I get teased for having an 'old' one.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

I had one of these when I was a kid:

 

[HadleyH]

No little fancy boxes for me.

Just an ordinary plastic bag.

Food was good though Thank you mom.

 

[Land-O-LakesGal]

This is someone talking about what their mother put in their lunch during the depression. She had a paper bag for her high school lunch. Clara's grandson did lots of great videos of her talking about what they did during the depression for food. Her dad didn't get much work and the family grew much of their own food even made their own wine. There are a series of youtube videos and also a book. My own family are big fans of poor mans meal.

[video=youtube;P4IjNV3lZkQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4IjNV3lZkQ[/video]

 

[Hercule]

Shorpy has a few:

http://www.shorpy.com/give-him-the-best-youve-got-1942?size=_original
http://www.shorpy.com/node/3119?size=_original
http://www.shorpy.com/node/155?size=_original
http://www.shorpy.com/node/7429?size=_original

 

[fortworthgal]

I would think a paper bag would have been the norm, with the contents in waxed paper. We both take our lunches to work most of the time, and I buy paper lunch sacks for my husband's lunch. (You can get a pack of about 100 for around $2.)

I used to use a metal "toolbox" style round-top lunchbox until the top handle broke, sadly. Now I use this:
http://www.museumofflightstore.org/rorilubox.html

It is just big enough for a sandwich, pickle & chips, and nobody confuses their lunch with mine in the refrigerator at the office!