OobyNews from Oobydooby.com

New Comment Policy

2007-01-08T22:59:00.000-06:00

OobyNews invites you to be an active participant in our blog discussion threads by posting comments or questions. I recently posted the following comment guidelines on my business newsletter. They will be used to moderate comments for all of my blogs.

• Please try to be sure your comment adds value to the discussion, is relevant and will be meaningful to a majority of readers.

• Manners will be appreciated. Personal attacks (direct and passive aggressive) will not be published. This is a professional business forum and we expect everyone who participates to respect others and their views. We will not publish comments that convey discrimination or slurs against any person or group of persons. Please use language that is appropriate for a business discussion.

• Your comment may include your name and a link to your Web site URL. Additional links will be removed if you add them.

• You may not copy and paste private emails you received from someone else in your blog comments.

• Remember that your blog comments are not editable after you make them.

• "Comment spam" will be deleted. A comment spammer is someone who posts garbage to bait a discussion or only to promote their Web site or their clients' Web sites.

• This blog is intended to convey a positive tone and encourage learning, discussion, debate and knowledge sharing, and maybe a little humor. We reserve the right to delete comments for any reason at any time and to do so without explanation.

• All comments are moderated to ensure quality and relevance in the discussion.

• By submitting your comments to OobyNews, you grant Cynthia Pinsonnault and/or Pinsonnault Creative and/or Oobydooby.com permission to republish your comment without restriction, notification or compensation. You also acknowledge that you alone are fully responsible for each comment you make including inaccuracies or potentially libelous statements. You agree to not disclose proprietary or confidential information.

It’s that Spooky Time of Year Again

2006-09-30T17:58:00.000-05:00

Halloween Citrus Label
Barr Packing Company, Sanger, California

The Jack-o’-Lantern — folklore

There are lots of legends connected to Halloween and the carved pumpkin or Jack-o’-Lantern has its fair share. One Irish legend is about a shrewd but lazy farmer, Jack, who is said to have trapped the Devil up a tree by carving a cross on the trunk. Jack then made a deal to release the Devil if he promised to never tempt Jack again. When he died, Jack’s lazy, evil ways denied him Heaven, and the Devil wouldn't let him into Hell. The Devil gave Jack a single ember to light his way through eternal darkness. Jack carved out one of his turnips, put the ember inside, and began endlessly wandering the Earth. He was known as "Jack of the Lantern," or Jack-o'-Lantern.

According to Wikipedia there are a multitude of variations on this legend:
• The Devil mockingly tossed a coal from the fires of Hell at Jack, which Jack then placed in the turnip.
• Jack tricked/trapped the Devil a variety of ways, including placing a key or other item in the Devil's pocket when the Devil was suspended in the air or plucking an apple from a tree. Some versions include a "wise and good man." helping Jack to prevail over the Devil.
• In some variations, Jack's bargain with the Devil is only a temporary bargain, but the Devil, embarrassed and vengeful, refuses Jack entry into Hell after Jack dies.
• Jack is considered a greedy man and is not allowed into either Heaven or Hell, without anything having to do with the Devil.

In the earliest uses of the term jack-o'-lantern in the mid-17th century, it meant a night watchman, or man with a lantern. In America, carved pumpkins are closely associated with the harvest season in general.

The poet John Greenleaf Whittier, who was born in 1807, wrote in
The Pumpkin (1850):

Oh!—fruit loved of boyhood!—the old days recalling,
When wood-grapes were purpling and brown nuts were falling!
When wild, ugly faces we carved in its skin,
Glaring out through the dark with a candle within!

Schooner Lemon Crate Label

2006-05-06T11:56:00.000-05:00

Back to Goleta Valley and the Goleta Lemon Association for this vintage circa 1930s lemon crate label. Featuring a great image of a schooner at sea, this crate label for Schooner Brand, famous Santa Barbara lemons from Goleta Lemon Association, Goleta, California, was printed by Schmidt Litho Co., Los Angeles. The label measures approximately 10.75 x 8.5 inches. The colors are beautiful on a dark background with deep red border and red and white lettering.

I've discussed Goleta in previous posts but here's a little more information.

Goleta Lemon Association
The Goleta Lemon Association began in the late 1800s with less than 700 acres and grew to eventually include more than 2500 acres, about three-fourths of the valley's crops. In 1936 the Association built a million-dollar packing plant and in June of that year sent their first shipment of lemons, wrapped in yellow or white tissue paper called onion skins, to the Chicago market. The then famous Santa Barbara County lemons sold for $9.20 to $9.60 per box, a high price during the Depression years.

In the 1950s a fire destroyed the land and storage facilities, costing the Association $1.5 million. The Association was able to raise the money needed to restart operations and they continued until 1976 when they were purchased by interests in the Central Valley and later sold to the Santa Barbara Lemon Association which operated until 1986.

California Lemon Festival
Lemons are such a large and inherent part of the history of Goleta, it was inevitable that they be celebrated. For the past 14 years the Lemon Festival has been the biggest celebration in the Goleta Valley. If you would like to join the celebration, which includes "sumptuous lemon food, fantastic family atmosphere, a cornucopia of entertainment and activities, and their famous pie-eating contests," just head to Girsh Park in Goleta, October 21 & 22, 2006 for the 15th Annual Lemon Festival. Seriously, for more information on the lemon festival, go to http://www.lemonfestival.com/.

Purchase this Schooner Brand Lemon Crate label or visit Oobydooby.com to view or purchase several Goleta Valley Lemon Crate Labels.

From Table to Wine Grapes

2006-03-07T15:15:00.000-06:00

This vintage crate label says Sanguinetti Flame Tokay Grapes, packed by Sanguinetti Fruit Company of Lodi, California — the home of the Lodi Grape Festival. Although Lodi has produced grapes steadily from its incorporation as a city in 1906 through today, the festival got its start in 1934 after the repeal of Prohibition, when the city looked forward to prosperous times for both table and wine grapes.

At the height of the Flame Tokay production, about 25,000 acres of land — almost half Lodi's total acreage — were dedicated to Flame Tokays. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, production of Flame Tokays peaked at around 4 million "lug" crates of the best grapes intended for use as table grapes.

Today, there may be less than 1000 acres in production and only about 1,000 lug boxes of Flame Tokays are shipped from the Lodi area. Most Flame Tokays today are used as bulk grapes in sparkling wines and brandy. This decline is due to the popularity of the flame seedless variety. Flame seedless grapes are a blend of Thompson, Cardinal and a few other grape varieties and are the second most popular table grape after the Thompson seedless. There is still a small market for the old grapes and some are shipped to Canada.

You can learn more about Lodi and the festival and the California grape industry at lodinews.com.

Independent Pear Labels from Yakima

2006-02-12T09:51:00.000-06:00

In 1805, men from the Lewis and Clark expedition were the first white men to view the Yakima Valley. Their descriptions of the wildlife and fertile soil attracted trappers and settlers, who came over the Cascade Mountains by wagon train. As more settlers came to the valley in the 1850s, disputes erupted between the settlers and Native tribes, leading to the Yakima Indian Wars of 1855. Yakima grew from 432 pioneers in 1870 to 15,000 by the turn of the century. As the area continued to grow, water and electricity became available, and railways supplied industry and agriculture.

Today, Yakima County in Central Washington is the state's leading agricultural county, "The Fruit Bowl of the Nation." A large and varied assortment of farms and orchards grow apples, cherries, pears, grapes and many other fruits plus a wide variety of vegetables, seeds, field crops and cereal grains making Yakima Valley one of the top agricultural producers in the nation.

Apples, pears and beer and wine?
One of the most fertile and productive growing areas in the world is the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Made up of the states of Idaho, Oregon and Washington, the region has become the top producer of high quality hop varieties. The Yakima Valley is also rapidly becoming known for its ever-increasing number of wineries producing an incredible array of wines.

Washington Fruit & Produce
Independent Pears came from Washington Fruit & Produce Company, incorporated in 1916 to grow, pack and ship apples, pears and peaches from the Yakima Valley. In the 1950s they added cherries and in the 1970s they ceased growing peaches. Today Washington Fruit also grows wine grapes. In the 1940s they started selling for Underwood Fruit of Bingen, Washington. Underwood Fruit grows, packs and ships apples, pears and cherries.

Washington Fruit & Produce is still family-owned and operated.

Visit Oobydooby.com for Independent Apples, Independent Pears and Independent Fruit labels from Washington Fruit & Produce, Yakima, Washington.

Goleta Valley Channel Lemons Crate Label

2006-02-02T12:31:00.000-06:00

Seagulls fly across an oval vignette of a coastline orchard, with a lighthouse and ship at sea, all set against a dark blue and black background on this colorful lemon crate label — Channel Santa Barbara County Lemons for Goleta Lemon Association of Goleta, California. Lithograph printed by Schmidt Litho Co., Los Angeles, circa 1930s. 12.5 x 8.75 inches.

According to the Goleta Chamber of Commerce article Lemons Are Goleta by Justin M. Ruhge, "Goleta gained nationwide fame and recognition through the production of lemons. Along with the walnut, this piece of fruit brought the Goleta rancher far-flung notoriety."

The climate and soil in Goleta were good for the production of lemons, which were not indigenous to the cattle ranching area. In 1874 Sherman P. Stow began the first commercial planting of lemons on 30 acres of ranch land. The lemons from this first orchard, which bore fruit until 1938, were processed and shipped under the Mission brand label.

Goleta's lemon business grew and prospered. Most growers marketed crops through the Johnston Fruit Company, founded in 1897, until 1935. At that time, the independent cooperative organization, Goleta Lemon Association, was formed and shipped lemons all over the world until 1976. The Santa Barbara Lemon Association operated until 1986 when the lemon packing business in the Goleta Valley ended.

Click here to see the Channel Lemon label at Oobydooby.com.

Click here to read the complete Lemons Are Goleta article.

Mariposa Brand Valencias Crate Label

2006-01-27T16:17:00.000-06:00

This beautiful fruit crate label, featuring one of my favorite flowers—the pansy, is a somewhat difficult crate label to find, although I see it pop up from time to time on various Web sites and on eBay. It was created by an unknown or anonymous artist for Mupu Citrus Association of Santa Paula, Ventura County, California, circa 1930-1940. The label is a color offset lithograph sized approximately 10 x 11 inches. The spray of flowers in pink, white and yellow are striking against the very dark background, framed in dark blue.

Barbara Franchi, an Antiques Roadshow appraiser had this to say about vintage fruit crate labels: "Each label is a small work of folk-art. It's one of the few things you can still get without having to spend more than your lunch money." As to value, she added, "The rare ones are always going to be worth more, but you don't have to buy the high-end ones to enjoy them."

Click here to see the Mariposa label at Oobydooby.com.

Click here to read the complete Antiques Roadshow article "Cornucopia of Crate Labels."

Attribution Policy

2006-01-26T23:17:00.000-06:00

All of the content on this blog is licensed by Cynthia Pinsonnault under a Creative Commons License.

You are free:
* to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work

Under the following conditions:

Attribution: You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor. (See attribution copy below.)

Noncommercial: You may not use this work for commercial purposes.

No Derivative Works: You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work.
* For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work.
* Any of these conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder.

Your fair use and other rights are in no way affected by the above.

This page defines the attribution that must be included in any use of all articles found on this blog. When used online, it is preferred that attributions are linked back to the original blog post containing the content used.

Preferred Attribution:
This article is from the OobyNews blog (http://ooby.blogspot.com) by author, Cynthia Pinsonnault, owner of Oobydooby.com: Vintage Crate Labels & Other Stuff and Pinsonnault Creative, a creative services company offering graphic design and Website design; Web site user interface analysis, SEO and usability consulting; copy writing and creative writing; marketing and advertising. View portfolio at: http://www.pinscreative.com - or read the company's Ballyhoo Blog.

Alternative Attribution:
This article is from the OobyNews Blog (http://ooby.blogspot.com) by author, Cynthia Pinsonnault, owner of Oobydooby.com (http://www.oobydooby.com), Vintage Crate Labels & Other Stuff and Pinsonnault Creative (http://www.pinscreative.com).

The Artistry of Crate Labels

2006-01-17T21:50:00.000-06:00

From the late 1800s to the mid 1950s, fruits and other produce were packed in wooden crates of various sizes and transported to markets where they were displayed for consumers. Crate labels were printed on paper and glued to the ends of the wooden crates. Attractive or informative crate labels were an important part of enticing consumers to choose one brand over another. Labels could be funny, elaborately decorative, serious or simply beautiful. They pictured everything from the produce being sold, to where it came from, to plays on words or puns involving the brand name. Competition kept packers working to improve their displays.

By the 1950s, as more government regulations dictated the information that must be included on labels, preprinted boxes began to replace the wooden crates and their beautiful labels. With the loss of the crate and its label, an art form was lost. Today, this craftsmanship and artistry are finding new appreciation among collectors and anyone looking for unique vintage prints.

If they're lost, where are they coming from?
Large produce companies that packed up to one million crates needed to keep lots of labels on hand. As the changeover from wooden crates to preprinted cardboard took place, leftover labels were often simply discarded. But many were left in packing houses or printing warehouses. In some cases, there were thousands of labels left. It is from these sometimes forgotten stores of labels that collectors are now rescuing these printed treasures.

Wooden crate labels had to be strong to survive the hazards of getting from the packer to the marketplace. First they are glued to a wooden crate. Then they had to be able to survive rough handling and damp or even wet transportation by railroad or truck to the market. Therefore crate labels were printed on high quality, relatively acid-free paper. Then the very fact that they were forgotten and stored in quantity in dry packing and storage houses helped to keep them from deteriorating. This is why original, vintage labels are available for collecting today.

So many different labels ...
The labels come in a variety of sizes, colors and designs. The size and firmness of the produce determined the size of the wooden crate and, therefore, the size of the label. For instance, tomatoes and grapes were packed in shallow crates, called "lugs." So these labels are wide and not very tall, perhaps 3 to 6 inches tall by as much as 14 inches wide. Apple and citrus labels were about the largest, measuring up to 12 inches tall or wide. Pears are a little more delicate and were packed in slightly smaller crates. Pear labels may be about 8 by 10 inches. Vegetable labels were usually even a little smaller, usually 5 x 7 inches or 7 x 9 inches.

Original can labels, printed to be used around tin food cans are also becoming popular collectibles. These can labels are wide and not as tall. They would wrap around a can and be glued. The glue margin on the end of the label often carries date and other information. Many older can labels are beautiful works of art.

The colors and variations in label designs usually signified the various grades of quality of the produce. Many label designs are nearly alike except the color of the background or an item pictured is different. Also, many brands were sold for a long time and a label design might have been used for up to 50 years. During that time, the label would be modified to keep up with current regulations or to update an image.

Some labels include a print date. Others have no indication of when they were printed. Precisely dating some labels can be difficult. Among the hints to dates are: the information included on the label, such as legal information like zip codes; what people pictured look like; typography; and other style changes.

Expensive or not so ...
The pricing of labels is very subjective. Price is primarily determined by quantity available, quality, age and aesthetic appeal. Like most collectibles, price is an outcome of supply and demand. Many very old labels sell for just a few dollars. Some very rare and desirable labels sell for hundreds of dollars. However, there are plenty of reasonably priced labels available for anyone who wants to begin collecting crate labels with a minimum investment.

Reproductions
Oobydooby.com sells only original, vintage crate labels and no reproductions.

Old, original labels have a distinct look, feel and even smell. Often you will see some aging of the paper. If you look at the printing with a lupe or magnifying glass, you will see that the printing on very old labels is actually very different from today's printing techniques. Old stone lithography, for instance, is completely different from today's four-color process printing. Stone lithography used as many colors of ink as were in an image. Four-color printing uses just four colors to create all the colors on a print.

As the labels get newer, into the 1950s, it becomes more difficult to tell original prints. However, close inspection will often show many of the same details as for older labels. Unauthorized reproduction also carries the threat of legal action, since many labels include copyright, trademark, patent or license information.

Most of the labels available today are original. The best way to avoid purchasing a reproduction is to purchase from reputable dealers.

Label art ...
This is just the basic story of crate labels but we hope we have instilled an appreciation for this all-but-lost art form. Browse our label pages at Oobydooy.com and you will indeed see that this is craftsmanship. It is history. It is Americana. It is art. Enjoy!

What is OobyNews?

2006-01-13T20:42:00.000-06:00

OobyNews is published by Oobydooby.com — Vintage Crate Labels and Other Stuff. We wrote an occasional newsletter, but now blogging makes it all so much easier.

Oobydooby.com is mostly about vintage fruit crate labels. There are labels for sale and what is available changes periodically, so visit often. There are also reviews (with links) of other products and services we have evaluated as worth a look and/or use ourselves.

I have two other blogs: Ballyhoo Blog with articles and tips on marketing, advertising, graphic design, Web design and more; and Wordspill with articles on anything and everything. You can also learn more about my company at Pinsonnault Creative.

Products and services mentioned in my blogs will also be highlighted on Oobydooby.com for people who are interested in more information.