NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY ACQUIRES MISSING JULIA CHILD POTS AND UTENSILS

THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY RECENTLY ACQUIRED THE PREVIOUSLY 'MISSING WALL' OF COPPER POTS AND UTENSILS THAT ONCE BELONGED TO PIONEERING AMERICAN CHEF JULIA CHILD. THE NEWLY INSTALLED WALL COMPLETES THE 14 BY 20 FOOT KITCHEN, WHICH IS ON DISPLAY IN THE EXHIBITION "BON APPETIT! JULIA CHILD'S KITCHEN AT THE SMITHSONIAN". THIRTY GLEAMING FRENCH COPPER POTS AND PANS AND THE ORIGINAL PAINTED PEGBOARD ON WHICH THEY HUNG IN HER CAMBRIDGE, MASS, WILL BE ADDED TO THE ORIGINAL EXHIBITION. THE BLUE PAINTED PEGBOARD SHOWS AN OUTLINE FOR EACH POT AND PAN, DRAWN BY HER HUSBAND PAUL CHILD, TO ENSURE EACH OBJECT WOULD BE RETURNED TO ITS PLACE ON THE WALL AFTER USE. IN ADDITION, THE WALL CONTAINS EIGHT BLACKSTEEL CREPE PANS, FOUR CAST-IRON BAKING PANS, A GIANT TEA BALL AND A BRANDING IRON WITH THE INITIALS "JC", ALL OF WHICH WILL ALSO BE ADDED TO THE EXHIBITION. MANY OF THE OBJECTS WERE BOUGHT BY THE CHILDS DURING THEIR TIME IN FRANCE (1948-52) AND USED FOR 45 YEARS FOLLOWING THEIR RETURN TO THE UNITED STATES.
JUST PRIOR TO HER GIFT OF THE KITCHEN TO THE SMITHSONIAN IN 2001, CHILD LENT THE WALL OF POTS TO A CALIFORNIA CULTURAL INSTITUTION WHERE IT WAS EXHIBITED UNTIL 2008. CHILD'S FAMILY THEN OFFERED THE NOW LEGENDARY POTS AND PANS TO THE SMITHSONIAN TO BE REUNITED WITH THE REST OF THE KITCHEN, BRINGING THE MORE THAN 1,000 ARTIFACTS TOGETHER AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2001 IN A LONG-TERM DISPLAY. THE EXHIBITION IS LOCATED ON THE FIRST FLOOR OF THE MUSEUM AND INCLUDES THE ORIGINAL CABINETS, COUNTERS, COOKBOOKS, GARLAND COMMERCIAL RANGE AND HUNDREDS OF OTHER UTENSILS AND GADGETS. WHEN IT OPENED IN 2002 , 'BON APPETIT!' WAS MEANT TO BE A TEMPORARY DISPLAY, HOWEVER, WARM RECEPTION FROM VISITORS HAS MADE IT A LONG TERM EXHIBITION IN THE MUSEUM.