Everyone knows that the best cranberry sauce is the kind that comes from a can, and it’s definitely been on our minds this week. Beef from a can, not so much.
This ca. 1942 photograph is part of Hagley Library’s collection of Chamber of Commerce of the United States photographs and audiovisual materials, Series II. Nation's Business photographs (Accession 1993.230.II). It was taken by Acme Newspictures, a news bureau photography service, and a notation attached to the image reads: “Lillymae Shevlin is shown with a pile of one pound tins that are equal in meat content to the sides of beef shown; dramatic evidence of the saving in shipping space that can be effected by this process.”
The image appeared in an article titled "Square Meals in Shirt Pockets" in the September 1942 issue of Nation’s Business. The magazine was a monthly publication from the Chamber of Commerce of the United States, a private lobbying group representing American business interests. The Chamber used the publication to inform the business community about commercial trends and to solidify political support around key positions on government policies regarding business and economic life.
Nation's Business is call number f HF1.N38 in the Hagley Library's Published Collections Department; our holdings cover all the years of its publication (1912 to 1999), with most volumes included in their entirety. All of the issues in our collection from 1915 on have been digitized - you can view them online now by clicking here or view a digital collection of Chamber of Commerce of the United States photographs, videos, and publications by clicking here.