List of the most popular hashtags for theme #JUNGLE110

Well before Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" captured Americans' attention in 1906, meat producers trumpeted their products' quality and purity to differentiate themselves from their competitors. In this printed advertisement from the 1890s, the company boasted that "[a]ll Hams, Bacon, Lard, and other meat products branded 'Swift's' receive the utmost care in every detail of preparation." Beyond reminding consumers of the Swift brand, the clean white packaging featured in the ad included prominent "U.S. Government Inspected" badges to assure customers of the company's commitment to quality. The text of the ad carried the idea even further, reminding readers that Swift's "Silver Leaf Lard" was shipped in "air-tight pails, guaranteeing the consumer against substitution and impurity." Sinclair's book turns 110 today. If you've read #TheJungle, what do you remember thinking about it? Image credit: Swift & Company advertisement, 1890s. Warshaw Collection of Business Americana collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. AC0060-0003109-01. #Jungle110 #UptonSinclair #BusinessHistory #FoodFriday #SmithsonianFood #MeatHistory #FoodSafety

Why is this pig wearing a crown? Pork was the unquestioned "king" of American meat in the era before factory-style meat production. Pigs could be fed cheaply on scraps and their meat could be cured and stored easily without advanced tools—an advantage in an era before refrigeration. Once meat production became big business in the late 1800s, the pig was dethroned. Chicken and beef began to replace pork on the center of the American dinner table. By the early 1900s, Americans were eating more meat than ever before, but many were concerned about the quality of foods produced in distant factories. "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair, which turns 110 today, catalyzed these concerns among legislators and everyday Americans about food safety. Stay tuned for more #FoodSafety history in our next post. Image credit: Warshaw Collection of Business Americana collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. AC0060-0000407. #Jungle110 #UptonSinclair #BusinessHistory #FoodFriday #SmithsonianFood #MeatHistory

#OnThisDay in 1906, #UptonSinclair's gripping and influential novel #TheJungle was published. Visit CHM to get down to the nitty-gritty of it--see the 1st edition and artifacts from the meatpacking industry in "Chicago: Crossroads of America" and take the audio tour of #ChicagoAuthored to hear about the gruesome packinghouse conditions and practices. #literaryhistory #foodhistory #MeatHistory #Jungle110

"The Jungle" by author Upton Sinclair turns 110 today. This portrait of Sinclair is from 1906, the same year as the book's publication, and is in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery (@smithsoniannpg). To gather research for the novel, Sinclair had spent two months living with immigrant workers in Chicago's Packingtown. He secretly visited the district's colossal meat-packing factories and slaughterhouses. By centering his novel on the plight of a Lithuanian immigrant family, Sinclair hoped to galvanize the American public against industries and corporations who exploited the working-class. Although Sinclair's muckracking exposé did not set off a socialist revolution, it did fuel nationwide concern about the quality of American foodstuffs, creating popular momentum for the Federal Meat Inspection Act and Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. Stay tuned for a few more photos today related to #TheJungle! Image reference number: NPG.99.63. #Jungle110 #UptonSinclair #BusinessHistory #FoodSafety #FoodFriday #SmithsonianFood #MeatHistory #Immigration #ChicagoHistory