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History of the Citrus Label

Oranges originally were grown for local consumption. But the completion of the transcontinental railroad in the 1880s changed the marketing of the fruit. A national network of transportation and the citrus friendly California climate encouraged more people to migrate west. This resulted in the increased need to differentiate one grower's product from another, to capture the attention of the wholesalers and customers back east.

Early identification on citrus boxes consisted of stenciling, stamping, or branding the wooden crates. The earlier paper examples consisted of six inch round paper labels, pasted in the middle of a stenciled rectangular pattern. The 10" x 11" label (9" x 13" for lemon labels) replaced these early efforts and between the mid 1880s and mid 1950s remained the industry standard.

The designs of California citrus labels can be divided into three stylistic periods. The naturalistic period, from the mid 1880s to the end of World War I, illustrated subjects in a realistic manner using stone lithography, which printed up to six colors to make the final image. Labels showed local subjects like the southern California scenery, the groves, the growers' homes, and orange harvesting. Tropical Queen is an example of a naturalistic label in the collection. The advertising period in citrus labels (1920-1935) reflected two trends: the development of product advertising and the nation's emphasis on youth and vitality. The rise of potential customers, as the population shifted to urban settings, resulted in an increased use of advertising on labels made to appeal to the eastern buyer, a switch from labels reflecting the grower's or packer's own interests. In 1918, a manager of the California Fruit Growers Association wrote a booklet recommending that the labels be distinctive, simple, content oriented with short brand names. These suggestions were made to grab the wholesaler's attention and to link the label with the product. The discovery of vitamins in 1915 fueled America's interest in health issues. The citrus industry responded by heavily marketing the Vitamin C content in the produce. After 1918, all three major marketing co-operatives marked their labels with grade standards, with the most aesthetically pleasing fruit receiving the top grade, like Sunkist or Pure Gold. Blemished fruit had no grading on their labels. Some labels, like Peasant, encouraged buyers to purchase the cosmetically flawed fruit despite their appearances. By the 1920s, most lithographic companies had phased out the stone plates in preference for metal ones, using new ink formulations in their printings. The Fancia label, a colorful label printed in 1932, shows some changes made during the advertising period. It retains the use of a landscape, but artists updated the design by framing it with the human figure standing outside the frame. The figure's attire reflects the Hispanic heritage of the region, another carry-over from the naturalistic period. But the inclusion of his smoking on the label was a new design element reflecting the cultural changes during the 1920s. The commercial art period (1935-1955) marks the final stage in the development of the citrus label. The use of offset photolithography marked the major change in label designs. Airbrushing and color gradation had not been possible using the older techniques. Photolithography also decreased advertising costs, a needed measure for businesses during the Depression. The Depression also caused more competition between the various brands. Few new designs were introduced, as the citrus associations continued to use older labels with some updating. Those labels introduced during the commercial art period used bold colors and block letters to attract the buyer's attention. Sunny Heights (1930s) is a vivid example of the ubiquitous orange grove but with the brand name formatted in block letters with color gradation in the title that gives it depth and dimension. The Circle series (1938) also demonstrates the use of airbrushing developed at that time.