Wooden box that held tinned corned beef

Mass production of corned beef for retail began in the British Isles during the 17th century. Tinned corned beef was often a staple of military rations, including during World War II. The box shown here held tinned corned beef that was produced in Argentina and shipped from Libby, McNeill & Libby (now known as "Libby's"), a US canned food company headquartered in Chicago.

Beef was and still remains an important part of Argeninian culture, both as cuisine and commodity. Cattle were first brought to Argentina by Spanish conquistadors in 1536. Thanks to the vast and fertile grasslands, the cattle thrived and rapidly multiplied, which led to Argentina becoming a major exporter of beef to Europe and North America during the 20th century.

Wooden box that held canned corned beef. The wooden box is nailed together on all sides and has a leather strap. On three of the four sides there are painted manufacture’s and inspection marks. One side of the box the inspection stamp in the upper right corner, in a lined box reads, [INDUSTRIA ARGENTINA / MINISTERIO DE AGRICULTURA / Y GANADERIA / ESTABLECIMIENTO ? 1A / INSPECCIONADO]. A blank rectangle with the text, [COOKED / C[half letter]ORNED BEEF] is over a solid triangle. Below the rectangle, text in the triangle reads, [PACKED FOR / L[half letter]ibby McNeill & Libby, U.S.A. / - PRODUCT OF ARGENTINA]. On the right is an additional manufacture’s mark of the same rectangle and triangle. Above ...