Designed by an unknown artist, the Wheeler’s Choice label was printed by the Schmidt Litho Co. which was headquartered in San Francisco at Second and Bryant Streets. To this day, the building’s clock tower is a local landmark greeting thousands of commuters at the entrance to the Bay Bridge. The image was originally used in 1904. While the image was originally used in 1904, this label is thought to be produced in the 1940s, while some crate label historians date it circa 1920.

About this Piece: California citrus growers began working in the 1880s with lithographers in San Francisco and Los Angeles to create colorful advertising labels that were pasted on the end of wooden shipping crates. The growth of railroads and refrigerated rail cars allowed growers in California to reach a market across the country and growers used striking images to develop their brands and help their products stand out from the competition. In the 1930s, at the height of crate label use, California growers were packing oranges, alone, under 2000 separate brands.

Crate label usage continued until a dramatic shift started due to rationing and shortages during World War II. By the mid-1950s wooden citrus crates were completely replaced by less expensive, pre-printed cardboard boxes, and many orange groves in California were turned into housing developments. With this abrupt change, large numbers of labels were left unused in packinghouses, in lithography printing companies, and in citrus industry archives.