Fruit Crate Label Museum

In a continuing effort to expand the contours of urban communication, here is link to an online musuem of fruit crate labels, which were at one time a cutting-edge technology for branding in a particular social context.

"Back in the days of our grandparents and their parents, people did their produce-shopping at markets that were more like a farmer’s market than today’s grocery stores. The fruit and vegetables would be displayed in their shipping crates somewhere near the railroad tracks, probably under a big shed. Each crate would have a label (up to a foot square) showing the name of the packer, and a colorful design to differentiate the brand."

These labels continue to say a lot about typography, iconography, and long-lived cultural narratives of ethnic identity, consumption, freedom, and gender.