Jay T. Last Collection of Food: Fruit and Vegetable Labels

The Jay T. Last Collection of Food: Fruit and Vegetable Labels contains over 9,000 printed produce labels from the 1870s to the 1970s, with the majority of items dating from 1890 to 1950. The collection is comprised mainly of color lithographs.

Materials are arranged in two series: small-size items (11 x 14 inches or less) and large-size items (more than 11 x 14 inches). Small-size items are described broadly at the series level; large-size items are fully inventoried and all printers, artists, and publishers are indexed by name. The collection includes over 30 large-size product labels for produce. Small-size labels number approximately 8,350. Materials include barrel and can labels as well as multiple kinds of box labels.

While the collection is primarily American, it does contain a small quantity of foreign produce labels. Most notably, Boxes 9-11 contain Spanish citrus labels, while other boxes and binders have fruit and vegetable labels from Australia, Canada, Mexico and New Zealand.

Also of note are three boxes of Blue Goose brand labels produced for American Fruit Growers, Inc. Other A.F.G. labels can be found throughout the collection, but Blue Goose items were isolated by the collector to create a comprehensive look at the brand.

PLEASE NOTE: Most California citrus labels collected by Jay T. Last are in the finding aid for the Jay T. Last Collection of Food: California Citrus Box Labels.

Overall the collection identifies produce growers and merchandisers, reveals advertising trends and consumption habits, and provides a resource for studying the history of American fruit and vegetable production, including the canning, packing, and shipping industries that evolved in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many labels predictably depict colorful images of fruits or vegetables, but pictures of women, children, animals, flowers, and views of farms, orchards, and vineyards also sold the product. As graphic materials, these labels offer evidence of developing techniques and trends in printmaking, and of the artists, engravers, lithographers, and publishers involved in the creative process.