1960 Armour Pictorial Food Source Map of the United States

This 1960 large-format pictorial map, produced by Amour and Company, celebrates American agricultural productivity.

A Closer Look

The map presents the United States as a pastoral empire founded on agriculture. Illustrations of animals, crops, factories, and farmers span coast to coast. Food products of different regions are represented, reflecting local specialties. The outline of the states, with some water at the coasts, has been given a 3-dimensionality and placed on a wood-style background with the overall effect that the United States appears to rest on a family dinner table. In this way, the map underscores the achievement of the American food supply infrastructure.

The verso of the map offers a 'History of the American Food Industry' - wherein Amour figures prominently. The essay makes for fascinating reading today, with interesting old photos and illustrations. A classic 1950s/60s diagram shows a man smoking a pipe and reading a magazine, with indications as to what animal products were used in his clothes and other household items.

Publication History and Census

This map was prepared by an artist surnamed Lehnhardt, who signs towards bottom-right. Armour published its first food source map of the U.S. in 1922 (also offered by us) and issued at least two updated editions in the following decades. The present map was first printed c. 1960, whereas this is a second printing with the arrangement of text on the verso changed very slightly. At bottom on the verso is the text '1994 Litho. in U.S.A.,' though this most likely was some sort of classification system by Armour (or an unnamed printer) rather than a date. Other features of the map, including the 2.5 cent postage stamp on the cover of the folded pamphlet and the company's address predating five-digit zip codes (instituted in 1963), would indicate a date of c. 1960. Confusion over the date is reflected in the catalog listings, but it would appear that the present edition of the map (original printing or the present one) is held by the University of Michigan, Minnesota State University, Mankato, the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, the University of Southern Illinois, and the University of Miami.