Farmer John, a slaughterhouse in the city of Vernon, near Los Angeles, is well known for its bright, colorful murals depicting happy pigs roaming free on pastures. The mural was painted by an unemployed Warner Bros set designer named Les Grimes back in 1957, and has remained, in various permutations, up until this day. The slaughterhouse kills between 2,000 and 6,000 pigs a day.

Photograph: Ruth Iorio