#elsemere delaware

[hagleyvault]

April is typically the start of swarm season for honeybees in much of the United States, when bee colonies leave the hive to split into two or more new new colonies. This is one of the busiest and most important times of year for apiaries and beekeeping hobbyists. But the payoff is, of course, sweet. This 1921 photograph shows the Bee Brand booth at the Delaware State Fair. While the front of this table features what appears to be jars of honey, Bee Brand, a brand launched by the Baltimore based McCormick & Co. food company in the 1890s, actually traded in spices, teas, extracts and salad dressings. The booth attendant seen here is holding a jar of the company’s mayonnaise.

The Delaware State Fair was first held in Wilmington, Delaware around the turn of the 20th century.  From 1917 to 1928, the fair was relocated in Elsmere. In 1928, it was moved 60 miles south to Harrington. The Hagley’s collection of Delaware State Fair albums (Accession 1991.212) consists primarily of two albums covering the years 1919, 1920, and 1921. Subjects include livestock, agricultural displays, automobile displays, arts & crafts displays, displays of various youth organizations, vendor booths, horse and car races, views of the crowds, and, of course, dog shows. To view more images from the Delaware State Fair, visit its page in our Digital Archive by clicking here.