Cuba · Havana / Introduced 1962 · photographed page 2018
Libreta de abastecimiento
A page of rationed everyday life
A photographed page of a Cuban libreta. Entries visible in the book date to 2018. It documents one household’s booklet, not the whole rationing system.
Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons at a 1600px rendering; converted to a JPEG working master and a WebP reading copy, maximum 1400px, quality 80; no content retouching.
The libreta records what a household may buy at subsidised prices. It was introduced in 1962 and became one of the most familiar documents of Cuban daily life. The photographed page has entries from 2018, so it documents a late version of the system, not its origins. A ration book can show that a state tried to guarantee basic goods; it also shows that the guarantee depended on categories, queues, shortages and administrative decisions. The object asks us to separate the promise of provision from the experience of standing in line.
- Date
- Introduced 1962 · photographed page 2018
- Maker / designer
- Cuban state distribution system
- Material
- Printed booklet, handwritten entries
- Context
- A rationing document from a state-led provision system; one household’s booklet, not the whole system.
Evidence: Date is a period or later photograph · Place established
Historical record
- The libreta was introduced in 1962.
- The photographed page contains entries dated 2018.
- It is one household’s booklet, not a complete record of the rationing system.
