Crate, can, and bottle label collection, circa 1920s-1940s

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Summary

Abstract:
Comprises thousands of crate, can, and bottle labels, the bulk of which were designed and created between the 1920s and 1940s by San Francisco and Los Angeles lithography companies. The core of the collection consists of labels and stock label catalogs designed by Lehmann Printing and Lithography Company in San Francisco for a wide variety of food, beverage, and household products grown, manufactured, canned, or packed in California and throughout the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Other major California lithographers represented in the collection include Schmidt Litho. Co. (San Francisco) and Western Litho. Co. (Los Angeles).
Extent:
5.75 Linear Feet (5 manuscript boxes and 4 oversize flat boxes)
Language:
The bulk of the collection is in English, with some labels in Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and Hebrew.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item, date] Crate, can, and bottle label collection (Kemble Spec Col 08). California Historical Society Collection at Stanford, Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection comprises thousands of crate, can, and bottle labels, the bulk of which were designed and created between the 1920s and 1940s by San Francisco and Los Angeles lithography companies. The core of the collection consists of labels and stock label catalogs designed by Lehmann Printing and Lithography Company in San Francisco for a wide variety of food, beverage, and household products grown, manufactured, canned, or packed in California and throughout the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Other major California lithographers represented in the collection include Schmidt Litho. Co. (San Francisco), Western Litho. Co. (Los Angeles), Louis Roesch Co. (San Francisco), and Traung Label Co. (San Francisco).

The collection documents the intersecting agriculture, food processing, and marketing industries, particularly in California, with large holdings of labels for beverages, canned foods, and fruits, especially apples, pears, and citrus fruits. Numerous growers, packers, distributors, and brands are represented, including Western Fruit Growers, Inc. (Los Angeles), Di Giorgio Fruit Corp. (San Francisco), Heggblade-Marguleas Co. (San Francisco), Newcastle Growers and Packers (Newcastle, California), Pacific Fruit Exchange, Parrott & Co. (San Francisco), Sylmar Packing Co. (Los Angeles), and Sunkist.

Labels in the collection contain a wealth of advertising imagery, including visual representations of agricultural products, farms and fields, missions, California scenery, and stereotypes of Native American peoples.

Acquisition information:
Collection assembled from various donations. Transferred to Stanford University Libraries in 2025.
Processing information:

Processed by Marie Silva, 2014.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into three series: 1) Lehmann Printing and Lithographing Co.; 2) Schmidt Lithography Co.; and 3) Miscellaneous lithographers. Within series, labels are organized alphabetically by product.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Special Collections and University Archives materials are stored offsite and must be paged three business days in advance. For more information on paging collections, see the department's website: https://library.stanford.edu/libraries/special-collections.

Terms of access:

While Special Collections is the owner of the physical and digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns. See: http://library.stanford.edu/spc/using-collections/permission-publish.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item, date] Crate, can, and bottle label collection (Kemble Spec Col 08). California Historical Society Collection at Stanford, Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.

Location of this collection:
Department of Special Collections, Green Library
557 Escondido Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-6004, US
Contact:
(650) 725-1022
chscollection@stanford.edu
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