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Fake Food in... 1887?


I came across this image in a book review I was just reading.  The review itself is not that interesting, or even very good, but the image is fascinating.  It shows a sturdy farmer, the salt of the earth--confronting a monster, a three-headed hydra.  On the body of the monster is printed "fraud," and each of its three necks bears the name of a different kind of fraud: glucose, cottonseed-oil-lard, and oleomargarine.  The farmer is fending off these fraudulent food products, while the monster is being egged on by what appear to be capitalists in their coats and top hats.

That seems like it could be a pretty timely political cartoon.  So when did it appear in print?  How about 1887!!!  In a magazine called Rural New Yorker, which, if Wikipedia is to be trusted, was founded in Rochester in 1850, later moved to New York City, and from 1911 onward was published out of the old Chelsea Methodist Church.  Apparently one John J. Dillon served as its editor from 1892 until his death in 1950, which is a pretty impressive editorial run.  He was evidently dedicated to running an honest magazine, so one is not surprised to see him taking up arms against agricultural fraud.

I have to admit, I had absolutely no idea that already in 1887 people were protesting unnecessary fake food products and unnecessary additives masquerading as food.  Remarkable.

It takes forever to load, but if you are really looking for entertainment during the lockdown, you can read the entire 1887 volume of Rural New Yorker here.  If you find the page where the cartoon is located, let me know!

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