Menu for AGIP restaurant in Rome: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A quarter folded menu from a restaurant run by Italian petrol company, AGIP (Azienda Generale Italiana Petroli—General Italian Oil Company). The front of the menu features stylized black and white illustrations of restaurant staff engaged in various activities. At the top right corner is the restaurant name in large block letters [AGIP]. The figures include a chef stirring a pot, a sommelier with a wine bottle and glass, three (3) waiters, two of which hold trays of drinks. The third waiter is seen with a dessert cart. The menu is divided into two main sections: Fixed Price and À La Carte. The À La Carte menu is further divided into Hors D'oeuvres & Specialties, Soups & Pasta, Meat Dishes, Vegetables, Eggs & Cold Dishes, Cheese, Desserts & Fruits, and Wines & Mineral Water. The text is written in English, Italian, German, and French translations and is illustrated with several further cartoon chefs. One of the interior pages is dedicated to encouraging customers to give feedback as well as the address of the restaurant and an illustration of the AGIP logo, a six legged dog.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1960
• Distributed by: Azienda Generale Italiana Petroli, Italian, founded 1926
• Owned by: Dick Howard, American, 1935 - 1967
• Type: menus
• Medium: ink on paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Closed): 10 3/16 x 4 in. (25.9 x 10.2 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Open): 10 3/16 x 15 5/8 in. (25.9 x 39.7 cm)
• Place depicted: Via Del Tritone, 181, Rome, Roma, Italy, Europe
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Cooking and dining
• Object number: 2012.140.6.6
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Howard Family
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.