One Scoop or Two? Ice Cream Cones for Summer Relief

The current heatwave smothering most of the United States has me thinking of all the ways we seek relief from soaring temperatures. One of the more delicious ways we can cool down is by indulging in the classic ice cream cone–portable, creamy, and blessedly cold and sweet. As I often do, I went into our collections to find images to go along with my imagination. The photo below did not disappoint! The look of anticipation and the small smile of the woman in the middle of this photo is captivating. It makes me smile as well.

These next two photos, of young girls enjoying ice cream at a festival and a zoo, respectively, take me back to childhood and the absolute mess I could make while enjoying a summer treat on a hot day!

These two young farm boys are also going after their ice cream treats with gusto! Their attire suggests it was an especially hot day and these treats are very welcome, indeed.

This group stands in the shade of a tree, with the ice cream wagon, clearly seeking some relief from the heat. But what caught my eye about this photo in Nicaragua isn’t even the ice cream cone held by the young boy at right, but the details of this ice cream cart.

Let’s look more closely. The side of the wooden cart reads Sorbeteria “La Garza”. Sorbeteria translates to ice cream shop. La Garza is both a town in Nicaragua as well as the word for heron or similar birds. So, I sincerely hope this photo is taken in La Garza and the vendor drew this wonderfully whimsical long-legged heron holding its own ice cream cone. This may be the best marketing I’ve seen in a long time!

If you are one of those feeling the heat this week, I hope this inspires you to treat yourself to a frozen dessert like an ice cream cone!

Learn More:

• These photos are the tip of the iceberg (pun intended!) when it comes to photos related to the enjoyment of ice cream in our collections. Enjoy an array of ice cream photos from the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Collection, the source of most of the photos above.
• Revisit a previous Picture This post: Beating the Summer Heat for additional cooling off!