Name/Title
Placemat: American Meat Institute 50th AnniversaryDescription
A Country Prints production sample retained as a print record.
A five-color silkscreen print on off-white linen depicting cuts of meat, footed frying pans, and a cutting board bearing the unattributed text, “Good health, good songs, and joy abound whenever we gather to eat, with all the family sitting ‘round and on the table MEAT”. The composition is finished and unified with trailing vines. A matching napkin was also produced; see images.
This was a custom commission for the 50th anniversary of the American Meat Institute (A.M.I.). Founded in 1906, A.M.I. was the oldest and largest trade association representing the U.S. meat and poultry industry until 2015 when it merged with the North American Meat Institute (N.A.M.I.).
An October 13, 1956, article in the A.M.I. magazine, The National Provisioner, describes the placemat set and why it was produced, “As a memento of the golden anniversary of the Institute, guests were presented with a set of country print placemats and napkins, designed especially for the AMI by Robert Darr Wert of Massachusetts. The placemats and napkins were appropriately adorned with cuts of meats, old fashioned skillets, and modern meat cutting boards.”Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Robert Darr WertRole
ArtistManufacturer
Country PrintsDate made
circa 1956Time Period
20th CenturyPlace
Location
Gill MA.Continent
North AmericaInscription/Signature/Marks
“FOR A.M.I. by r. darr wert”, lower right corner of placemat.Dimensions
Dimension Description
ApproximateWidth
17 inLength
11 inMaterial
Bleached Linen, Textile InkColor
Brick Red, Brown, Pink, Green, Black
