Press kit
The Citrus Label Society, an organization for people who collect and admire citrus crate labels and related art, meets monthly at locations in Sherman Oaks, Orange and Riverside.The quarterly Sherman Oaks meetings draw the most collectors and visitors.
Meetings offer a chance for label enthusiasts to show off their collections and introduce visitors and newcomers to the hobby.
Colorful labels for oranges, lemons, grapefruit and other fruits were essential for promoting Southern California's citrus crops when they were shipped in wooden crates from the 1880s to the 1950s. Many use images, themes and place names from the region. The labels have become increasingly rare collector's items, but their imagery lives on.
More information about the organization - including a full meeting calendar, maps to meeting locations and links to customizable driving directions - is available on the society's Web site at www.citruslabelsociety.com.
Information: President Tom Spellman, (909) 981-5171.
Medium-resolution scans of these two common labels can be downloaded to accompany any articles or briefs about the society. Higher-resolution versions of these images and scans of other labels can be prepared on request by vice president for publicity Jeff Dillon. We just don't have a large storage capacity on our site.
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This Bronco brand label was used by Redlands Foothill Groves during the 1920s. |
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This Upland Pride brand label was used by the Euclid Ave. Orange Association during the 1930s. |
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This Idyllwild brand label used by the Victoria Avenue Citrus Association in Riverside, Calif. depicts the pastoral origins of the oranges within the crate. |