This extensive menu was served at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Chicago in 1884 and is not for the faint-hearted.

The menu included buffalo, black bear, opossum, elk, deer and gray squirrel as well as birds such as starlings and blackbirds. Diners could top off this repast with tutti frutti ice cream, cake and bon bons.

There was little room for sentimentality in food production during this era in America. Settlers foraged off the land and ate nearly anything with fur or feathers. Venison, buffalo, rabbits, turkeys and ducks were the most commonly hunted animals, but snakes, squirrels, turtles and other creatures were also considered edible.

This was a show-off menu, however, for an annual Game Dinner held for men in the grand surroundings of one of the Windy City’s best hotels.

Many notable celebrities stayed at the Grand Pacific, including the famous Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde on his first visit to Chicago as part of his 1882 lecture tour of America. 

Courtesy UNLV Special Collections.

Gallery quality Giclée print on natural white, matte, 100% cotton rag, acid and lignin free archival paper using Epson K3 archival inks. Custom printed with border for matting and framing.

All printed in USA.

Each product is accompanied by a copy of the interior menu where available.