Graphic for the Lunchtime exhibition

A Bite of Lunch

Explore the history of science behind U.S. efforts to feed schoolchildren with Lunchtime exhibition curator Jesse Smith.

ByJesse SmithMatthew LorenzJanuary 8, 2026

The Science History Institute’s Lunchtime: The History of Science on the School Food Tray exhibition is closing at the end of January 2026.

In the video below, join curator Jesse Smith on a tour of the sciences and technologies that have influenced the ways we’ve fed schoolchildren in the United States for more than a century. 

If you’ll be in Philadelphia this month, please visit us. Admission to our museum is always free! And we hope to see you in April for the opening our next temporary exhibition: Flash! Bang! Boom! A History of Fireworks. It’s the Science History Institute’s contribution to America’s Semiquincentennial. Happy 2026!


More from our collections blog

Hemoglobinometer used in the early 20th century to measure hemoglobin levels in blood, ca. 1940.
Collections Blog

Blood Work

Processing the William D. Hawker Clinical Chemistry Collection.

advertisement for coal-water fuel
Collections Blog

The Slurry Solution

Carbogel’s post-oil embargo take on “clean coal.”

man in glasses sitting in front of a computer screen holding a mouse
Collections Blog

Live from Philadelphia, It’s the History of Science!

Celebrating 15,000 historical works in our digital collections.

    Republish

    Copy the above HTML to republish this content. We have formatted the material to follow our guidelines, which include our credit requirements. Please review our full list of guidelines for more information. By republishing this content, you agree to our republication requirements.