A Brief History of Grape Labels
The Grape Label Project aims to preserve grape labels and the stories behind them. So, a bit about grape labels:
A Primarily Agricultural Economy
The U.S. economy was primarily agricultural in the early 19th century.[8][9] Westward expansion, including the Louisiana Purchase and American victory in the War of 1812 plus the building of canals and the introduction of steamboats opened up new areas for agriculture. Most farming was designed to produce food for the family, and service small local markets. In times of rapid economic growth, a farmer could still improve the land for far more than he paid for it, and then move further west to repeat the process. While the land was cheap and fertile the process of clearing it and building farmsteads wasn’t. Frontier life wasn’t new for Americans but presented new challenges for farm families who faced the challenges of bringing their produce to market across vast distances.
Dramatic Expansion
A dramatic expansion in farming took place from 1860 to 1910 as cheap rail transportation opened the way for exports to Europe.[20] The number of farms tripled from 2.0 million in 1860 to 6.0 million in 1906. The federal government issued 160-acre tracts for very cheap costs to about 400,000 families who settled new land under the Homestead Act of 1862. Even larger numbers purchased lands at very low interest from the new railroads, which were trying to create markets. The railroads advertised heavily in Europe and brought over, at low fares, hundreds of thousands of farmers from Germany, Scandinavia, and Britain.
Advances in Lithographic Printing
By the 1880s, fruit growers and shippers were marking the ends of their wooden shipping crates with colorful paper labels made possible by advances in lithographic printing. The labels identified the source of the fruit, while the designs, images, and names helped encourage brand recognition among buyers. California growers used such labels on grape crates until the 1950s, when printed labels on corrugated cardboard boxes replaced the old wooden crates.
Your Title Goes Here
Your description goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the description settings
Your Title Goes Here
Your description goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the description settings
Your Title Goes Here
Your description goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the description settings
Your Title Goes Here
Your description goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the description settings
Your Title Goes Here
Your description goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the description settings
Your Title Goes Here
Your description goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the description settings
Your Title Goes Here
Your description goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the description settings
Shared Stories & History
Many people who knew, worked for or owned the grape farming companies during the era of grape label packaging have shared their stories about how the grape labels came to be, and what farming was like during that time. We would love to hear any stories you have!
Subscribe to the Grape Label Project Email
- We’ll send you a quarterly-ish update on new featured stories
- We’d love your help with ongoing Q&A about grape labels!
- We will protect your contact info and won’t use it to sell you anything