Colorful citrus
packing labels once adorned every wooden box of oranges and lemons
that were shipped to market. The practice of pasting paper labels on
boxes began in Southern California in the 1880s to identify and
advertise citrus fruit to the trade. Easily recognizable with catchy
brand names, the labels helped growers, packers and shippers market
their products across the United States. The age of labels came to
an end during the 1950s when the traditional wooden box gave way to
the preprinted cardboard carton. Thousands of citrus labels were
destroyed, leaving just a few pieces of vintage art to remind the
world of a uniquely American marketing tool. Those labels that have
survived are collectibles.