Page 2 - AARF 2019-2020

Florida Citrus Labels…
Florida Citrus Labels…

It’s Crate Artwork!

By: Richard S. Farneski

Salvador Dali, Pablo
Picasso, and Vincent van
Gogh created some of the
greatest artwork. One of
the grandest examples
of art finds its roots here
in Florida. That art is the
Florida Citrus label. It’s a
colorful and descriptive
label pasted to wooden
crates from the late 19th
century to the mid-20th
century.
Florida thrived as the
nation’s citrus capital.
While Floridian’s enjoyed
oranges, tangerines, and
grapefruits, much of the country With an extensive rail network
did not enjoy these citrus gems. It and local rail spurs, Florida citrus
was not until the late 1800s when packers could ship their fruits up
the railroad boom took place. North and West. The heyday of
shipping, Florida Citrus with
colorful labels saw its demise
begin during World War II and
conclude in 1956.
The Florida citrus label
was a Florida citrus growers’
corporate logo, enhanced by
colorful artwork and detail.
A trove of information is
available by examining the
thousands of Florida Citrus
fruit labels. Long before photo
editing software or “cut and
paste”, artists labored long
hours designing Florida citrus
fruit labels.