Fruit Crate Labels Collection, 1916-1977

This collection includes 489 unused fruit crate labels, the bulk of which (464) are from Washington state, predominantly central and eastern Washington. Other states represented include Idaho, Oregon, California, Michigan, Minnesota, Wyoming, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Colorado, Arizona and New York. Most are apple and pear labels; also included are two asparagus labels and two recipe labels. A number of the labels include offensive, stereotypical images of Indigenous Peoples. Per the donating collector, many of the labels are from now defunct lithograph houses in San Francisco, Seattle, and Spokane. The donor also provided an itemized list with brand name, fruit type, city, approximate date, and retail value. Per the donor, the value assigned is based on collector Pat Jacobsen’s price guide to label art.