LACMA

ShopMembershipMyLACMATickets
LACMA
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
5905 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@lacma.org
(323) 857-6000
Sign up to receive emails
Subscribe
© Museum Associates 2025

Museum Hours

Monday

11 am–6 pm

Tuesday

11 am–6 pm

Wednesday

Closed

Thursday

11 am–6 pm

Friday

11 am–8 pm

Saturday

10 am–7 pm

Sunday

10 am–7 pm

 

  • About LACMA
  • Jobs
  • Building LACMA
  • Host An Event
  • Unframed
  • Press
  • FAQs
  • Log in to MyLACMA
  • Privacy Policy
© Museum Associates 2025
Collections

Western Lithography Company
Passport lemon-crate label for R. H. Verity, Sons and Co., Coronacirca 1930s

Not on view
Horizontal commercial citrus crate label print with bold cream and red 'PASSPORT' lettering on a diagonal black band, stylized green and yellow floral burst, and three yellow lemons with white blossoms in the lower right corner.
Printed by
Western Lithography Company
United States, California, Los Angeles, 1900-1954
Produced by
R.H. Verity, Sons and Co.
United States, California, Corona, 20th century
Title
Passport lemon-crate label for R. H. Verity, Sons and Co., Corona
Date Made
circa 1930s
Medium
Offset lithography
Dimensions
9 x 12 3/8 in. (22.86 x 31.43 cm)
Credit Line
Decorative Arts and Design Council Fund
Accession Number
M.2010.118.4
Classification
Prints
Collecting Area
Decorative Arts and Design
Curatorial Notes

Once an exotic treat, California citrus was an American staple by the 1930s, thanks to advances in shipping and refrigeration. California fruit growers affixed appealing labels to their crates to ensure that oranges and lemons were inextricably associated with the state in the minds of consumers. While early labels showed images of pastoral bounty, in the 1920s and 1930s many companies hired professional commercial artists to design energetic abstractions, reminding buyers that accessible citrus was a modern convenience.



(California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way," 2011-12)

Selected Bibliography
  • Kaplan, Wendy, ed. Living in a Modern Way: California Design, 1930-1965. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2013.
Selected Exhibition History
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". October 1, 2011 - June 3, 2012
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". October 1, 2011 - June 3, 2012
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". March 20, 2013 - June 3, 2013
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". March 20, 2013 - June 3, 2013
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". July 6, 2013 - September 29, 2013
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". July 6, 2013 - September 29, 2013
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". November 2, 2013 - February 9, 2014
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". November 2, 2013 - February 9, 2014
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". March 29, 2014 - July 6, 2014
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". March 29, 2014 - July 6, 2014