White Ice Cream and Milk Company Milk Carton

01

Artifact Overview

The quest for a shatter-proof milk container prompted John Van Wormer to patent a paper carton in 1915. Many processors and distributors continued to use breakable glass bottles, but, after 1937, mechanized production made the disposable, wax-coated folded cartons inexpensive and indispensable liquid containers. The iconic design, a box with a gable-end top with a pouring or drinking spout, remains the industry standard today.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Carton (Container)

Creator Notes

Manufactured for Ex-Cell-O Corporation, Detroit, Michigan, by the Kieckhefer Container Company, Cherry River Division, Delair, New Jersey, Bensenville, Illinois, and Whittier, California, for White Ice Cream and Milk Company, Wilmington, North Carolina.

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

71.1.1619

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of David M. Gwinn.

Material

Cardboard

Color

Cream (Color)
Red

Dimensions

Height: 7.5 in
Width: 5.5 in

Inscriptions

on front of carton: HALF PINT LIQUID / TO CLOSE / Press Here / TO OPEN / Lift Here / White's PASTEURIZED / GRADE A / HOMOGENIZED VITAMIN D / MILK / 400 U. S. P. VITAMIN D UNITS VIOSTEROL ADDED PER QUART on back of carton: GRADE A PASTEURIZED / HOMOGENIZED VITAMIN D / MILK / NEW HANOVER COUNTY / HEALTH DEP'T / PERMIT No. 1 / HALF PINT LIQUID / White's / PASTEURIZED / GRADE A / HOMOGENIZED VITAMIN D / MILK / 400 U. S. P. VITAMIN D UNITS VIOSTEROL ADDED PER QUART on side of carton: 1733 / Pure-Pak / Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. / CONTAINER - A PRODUCT OF / EX-CELL-O CORPORATION / DETROIT, MICH. / WHITE ICE CREAM / AND MILK COMPANY / WILMINGTON, N. C. on side of carton: Z Z Q I I I I / Covered by one or more / U. S. Patent Nos. / 1,763,025 / [...] / 2,329,797 / OTHER PATENTS PENDING / MANUFACTURED FOR EX-CELL-O CORP. BY / KIECKHEFER CONTAINER COMPANY / CHERRY RIVER DIVISION / DELAIR, N. J. BENSENVILLE, ILL. WHITTIER CALIF. / LABORATORY CONTROLLED