In 1885, the first orange box labels were designed and lithographed. The
size of the labels, about 10x11 inches, fit perfectly on the end of the
standard size California wooden shipping box. One label was pasted on
an end of each box. The reason these labels were produced was to identify
where the oranges were grown and to provide information about who packed
and shipped the oranges. In most cases additional information on the label
provided the buyer with the name of the variety of oranges that were in
the box and across the top of the label was the trademarked brand name,
provided for re-ordering identification.
From the very beginning colorful illustrations relating to the trademark
brand name often became the central graphic image featured on the label
designs. This addition was clearly decorative and was meant dress up the
package and make it look special. Oranges were considered a delicacy at
that time and when high quality California oranges were packed and presented
professionally they brought premium prices at fruit auctions in Eastern
American cities. At first a relatively small number of packers used these
labels, but by the mid-1890s there were hundreds of different labels being
pasted on the ends of shipping boxes containing California oranges, lemons
and grapefruit.
Although label designs evolved and changed through the years, the size
of the labels and the tradition of pasting them on one end of each wooden
shipping box remained virtually unchanged from 1885 until 1955. During
that time it is estimated that more than 10,000 different label designs
were developed for California citrus packers. In 1955, the California
citrus industry discontinued the use of wooden shipping boxes and paper
labels. They were replaced with pre-printed cardboard box containers,
which held just about half the number of oranges in each box. This transition
marked the end of citrus label production. |
