Fruit Crate Labels from the Boston Public Library

Produce Crate Labels — The Boston Public Library has added some more great fruit crate labels from the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s to their Flickr account.

There’s a lot of social and cultural history in these labels, and they’re also a study in marketing psychology. What kind of images do you think would sell fruit? Maybe those that evoke tradition, power and majesty, like this image of Queen Victoria with oranges, from the Victoria Avenue Citrus Association in Riverside, California. Or maybe the romance of the Scottish Highlands, like Tartan Brand lemons from the Corona Foothill Lemon Company, Corona. And then there are the patriotic images, like Golden Eagle oranges, the exotic ones, like Miracle Brand oranges, and cartoon labels, including an Up n’ Atom Brand carrots label featuring a Bugs Bunny lookalike.