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1739 -

A simple menu for a table with 14 places dated back to France in 1739. The word "menu," like much of the terminology of cuisine, is French in origin. The earliest European menus survive from the mid-18th century. Later, menus appeared more colorful and elaborate as eating out in restaurants became fashionable and ultimately more affordable.

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1885 -

A beautifully illustrated menu from January 18, 1885 for The Palmer Hotel in Chicago, Illinois.

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1893 -

Famous artists were sometimes employed to design restaurant menus, such as this one by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901), which the French painter created in 1893.

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1895 -

An 1895 cabaret menu for Le Chat Noir ("Black Cat"). The celebrated Parisienne night spot is regarded as the first modern cabaret venue.

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1896 -

The lavishly decorated menu of the feast meal to celebrate the 1869 Coronation of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, and Alexandra Fyodorovna.

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1899 -

A 1899 menu cover for Maxim's in Paris, one of the most famous restaurants in the world.

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1899 -

This exquisite menu depicts revelers in period dress toasting the end of the 19th century at the Ritz Hotel in Paris.

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1900 -

The official banquet menu of the 1900 Paris International Exhibition.

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1900 -

This bizarre menu design from Restaurant Julien in Paris dated May 4, 1900 depicts a group of cherubs cooking a person in a large pot.

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1901 -

The menu cover for the Inaugural Ball Supper held in Washington, D.C. on March 4, 1901 featuring an image of outgoing President William McKinley and incoming President Theodore Roosevelt.

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1902 -

The dinner menu for the assembly of editorial secretaries held at Café Richie in Paris, France, on December 22, 1902.

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1904 -

A 1904 breakfast menu in German and English for passengers onboard the SS Kaiser Wilhelm II, operated by Norddeutscher Lloyd out of Bremen, Germany.

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1905 -

A cheery and comprehensive July 7, 1905 dinner menu for American restaurant Tait's.

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1905 -

A suitably puzzling menu design for a freemasons' dinner, hosted somewhere in the United States in the early 20th century.

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1906 -

This elaborately-designed 1906 Moscow breakfast menu was created for the anniversary of the creation of the Order of Saint George, the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation.

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1911 -

Thanksgiving menus across the United States have always lent themselves to quirky, eye-catching designs, and this one for a 1911 celebration at the Hotel Alvarado in Los Angeles is no exception.

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1912 -

A rare collector's item, this is a menu given to first-class passengers on April 14, 1912, the day before the sinking of the RMS Titanic.

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1918 -

A First World War Christmas Day 1918 dinner menu issued to combatants recovering at the American Hospital in Angers, France.

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1920 -

A 1920 menu cover for the exclusive Grill Room of the Piccadilly Hotel in London, England.

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1922 -

"Good Things to Eat" promises the 1922 menu for the Hotel Cleveland (now the Ritz-Carlton) in Ohio.

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1925 -

The Grand Hôtel Palace Locarno in  Switzerland hosted the negotiations of the Locarno Treaties in 1925 that later resulted in an agreement that was supposed to guarantee peace in Western Europe after the trauma of the First World War. The wonderfully imaginative commemorative menu depicts waiters as doves of peace.

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1925 -

El Cortez was once the most glamorous apartment-hotel in San Diego, California. Its restaurant, however, was accessible to all, including youngsters. This appealing 1925 menu is specially designed for children.

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1926 -

Pigall's in the Pigalle neighborhood of Paris advertised its restaurant and nightclub with this elegant ambassador in full evening dress with spats and top hat, grasping a rose between his teeth. The menu design dates back to 1926.

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1928 -

A charming 1928 menu cover for Chez Hansi, a "Grande Brasserie Alsarienne" set in the heart of Montparnasse in Paris.

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1935 -

A 1935 menu cover for Club Harlequin, "The Most Unique Night Club in The West." The nightspot was located in Long Beach, California.

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1940 -

"The Finest Chicken Dinner in the World" would have cost you US$1 back in 1940, according to the Eaton's Chicken House menu.

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1948 -

American athletes who competed at the XIV Olympiad, the 1948 Summer Olympic Games in London, were hosted at San Francisco's Commercial Club where a Welcome Home Luncheon was held. Pictured is the menu cover from the occasion.

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1983 -

This is the menu for dinner when Queen Elizabeth II entertained US President Ronald Reagan and other dignitaries on the Royal Yacht Britannia during a royal visit to California on March 4, 1983. The date happened to fall on the Reagan's wedding anniversary.

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1996 -

And this is the menu a guest seated at the 1996 State Banquet at Buckingham Palace would have been presented with. Also listed is the music entertainment program.

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2008 -

Just as exclusive is this menu set on tables for guests invited to the Academy's Official New York Oscar Night press preview at Cafe Carlyle in February 2008. Note the meal choices: they are all named after Oscar-nominated movies.  

Sources: (The Love Food)

See also: Celebrities who endorsed food and drink brands

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