Although diners may not be as ubiquitous as they once were, they are a distinctive part of American food culture, and they can still be found dotting the landscape. Images of these establishments from the Library of Congress collections offer a reminder of some of their common characteristics, and may also bring a wave of nostalgia.
Not all diners look like train cars, but many do because they were fabricated to look that way by the companies that mass-produced them in the 20th century. When ordered, they conveniently fit into actual rail cars for transportation and delivery. This diner in Columbus, Georgia, advertises American and Korean food and features a corrugated metal surface:
Diner (American and Korean food), Route 27, Columbus, Georgia. Photo by John Margolies, 1982. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/mrg.00100
The photograph below of the Country Girl Diner in Vermont was taken less than a decade ago. The restaurant features that same distinctive silvery surface and a welcoming entrance, possibly designed to keep the chill out on cold winter days.
The Country Girl Diner, a classic “streamliner”-style aluminum diner — or small, family-style restaurant patterned after the sleek streamliner railroad cars of the mid-20th Century, in Chester, Vermont. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith, September 4, 2017. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/highsm.45630
Some photographs give a glimpse of a diner’s menu. In this photograph taken in Maryland during the summer of 1940, we see hot dogs on offer for 5 cents and a “platter” for 25 cents.
Diner along U.S. Highway No. 1 near Berwyn, Maryland. Photo by Jack Delano, June 1940. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8c02616
This exterior shot of a New York City diner from 1959 shows the establishment asking 75 cents for “ham ‘n’ eggs” with a side of potatoes and buttered toast, alongside other breakfast and lunch staples.
Woman at cash register viewed through diner show window with buildings reflected_._ Photo by Angelo Rizzuto, February 1959. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.75125
Some images include clues about the people who were likely to frequent a given diner. The caption for this photo from 1940 indicates truck drivers formed an important part of this New York diner’s customer base:
This diner depends on the “truckers” for its trade. Near Cortland, New York. Photo by John Collier, Jr., October 1941. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8c26054
The photo below appears to show a row of truck drivers sitting at a Maryland diner counter. Many roadside diners were open 24 hours a day to accommodate customers who worked long hours. The coffee seemed to be flowing in this scene.
Untitled photo, possibly related to: Aberdeen (vicinity), Maryland. Truck drivers having coffee at a diner along U.S. Highway 40. Photo by John Vachon, February 1943. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8d14333
Photos that were made within the past ten years demonstrate that diners are not just a thing of the past, although they do often make a nod to mid twentieth-century design. This photograph shows a diner in eastern Tennessee with a Ford Fairlane from the era parked in front.
Nostalgia reigns at the Sunliner Diner, which evokes the look and feel (and milkshakes and burgers and jukebox music) of a 1950s classic diner in Pigeon Forge… Photo by Carol M. Highsmith, November 2, 2021. https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/highsm.68328
The 5 & Diner in Phoenix serves up a 1950s-era atmosphere, as evident in this photograph of server Tara Keogh holding a vanilla ice cream soda on a tray, surrounded by checkerboard floors and red accents.
Tara Keogh serves a vanilla ice-cream soda at the nostalgic 5 & Diner diner-style restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith, March 30, 2018. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/highsm.49835
When was the last time you found yourself in a diner? It’s been a while for me, but these images may inspire me to seek one out this weekend.
Learn More:
- Browse additional diner-related photographs from the Library of Congress collections.
- Explore the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, which includes a few images from this blog post and features photographs documenting the United States from 1980 to the present.