Carl Hassmann, American
The Beef-Trust, 1906
In this 1906 caricature of a butchers shop, published in the American satirical magazine Puck, the butcher leers at the viewer in macabre commentary. He is surrounded by cans, casings, and other things all with labels including “tuberculosis lard,” “potted poison,” “decayed roast beef,” and more unpleasant names. A bible verse appears underneath the image, saying “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink,” ironically mocking the Christian-built capitalism that was then poisoning the food supply with little care. As famously addressed in Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, published the same year, this capitalism is the continuing force that decays our health and environment. Label by Annabelle Marcais