Apple box labels. The colorful graphics that once identified and promoted Washington State apples have been rediscovered and rescued from old packing sheds, attic trunks, and warehouses. They are sought after as collectibles unique to Washington and treasured as nostalgic reminders of a bygone era. Apple box labels. The colorful graphics that once identified and promoted Washington State apples have been rediscovered and rescued from old packing sheds, attic trunks, and warehouses. They are sought after as collectibles unique to Washington and treasured as nostalgic reminders of a bygone era.
Washington's oldest fruit orchards date back to the mid-1870s. Then, settlers began to follow the prospectors and miners to North Central Washington and establish farms and towns. Apples were soon found to thrive in the Cascade foothills. The first commercial orchard was established sometime in the early 1880s.
It was not long before Wenatchee, located in the center of the state, started billing itself as the world's Apple Capital. Fruit crate labels were already well established as a successful marketing tool for California oranges, and Washington apple growers quickly followed suit. Graphic illustrators adopted some of the same orange themes early on but were soon inspired by the scenic beauty of the Pacific Northwest and began painting an idyllic, sometimes whimsical picture of a lush land filled with quaint Alpine villages, flowing rivers, healthy children, and valleys brimming over with orchards of perfect apples. The Apple labels were glued to the ends of wooden boxes and shipped throughout the United States by railcar.