Agriculture

From butter churns to diesel tractors, the Museum's agricultural artifacts trace the story of Americans who work the land. Agricultural tools and machinery in the collections range from a John Deere plow of the 1830s to 20th-century cultivators and harvesters. The Museum's holdings also include overalls, aprons, and sunbonnets; farm photographs; milk cans and food jars; handmade horse collars; and some 200 oral histories of farm men and women in the South. Prints in the collections show hundreds of scenes of rural life. The politics of agriculture are part of the story, too, told in materials related to farm workers' unions and a group of artifacts donated by the family of the labor leader Cesar Chavez.

John Deere Plow
John Deere Plow, 1830s
Labels are an important marketing device.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Kershaw brand apple crate label was used by the Kershaw Fruit and Cold Storage Company of Yakima, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label was produced by Stecher-Traung of San Francisco, California. The label has a blue background with a central representation of an apple.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Kershaw Fruit and Cold Storage Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.086
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.086
Labels are an important marketing device.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This apple crate label was used by Spark’s Orchards during the beginning of the 20th century. Spark’s Orchards was based in Wenatchee, Washington, a region that was well known for its apple production, especially in the early 1900s.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Sparks Orchards
ID Number
1979.0441.010
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.010
Labels are an important marketing device.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Empire Builder brand apple crate label was used by the Cashmere Pioneer Growers of Cashmere, Washington during the early 20th century. The label was lithographed by the Schmidt Lithograph Company of Seattle, Washington. The label has a background image of an orchard with a train depot in the center, and mountains rising up in the background. In 1892 the Great Northern railroad entered the Wenatchee Valley, opening new markets to Washington apples, boosting sales during the early 20th century.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Cashmere Pioneer Growers
ID Number
1979.0441.111
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.111
Labels are an important marketing device.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Wenoka apple crate label was used by the packing company Captain Robert J. Graham of Cashmere, Washington during the early 20th century. The label was lithographed by the Ridgway Lithograph Company of Seattle, Washington. The crate label has a large central image of an arrowhead, with a profile image of a Native American in the arrow’s center. There is an inset image of a Clipper Ship on the left. The apples were likely grown by the co-operative behind the Clipper Ship brand, and then packed and distributed using the Wenoka brand.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Robert J. Graham
ID Number
1979.0441.104
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.104
Labels are an important marketing device.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Trout brand apple crate label from Chelan, Washington was in use around 1900-1940. The label features a lithographed image of a leaping trout, meant to evoke a sense of nature popular among fruit crate labels during this period. Washington was one of the largest producers of apples during the early 20th century, and Wenoka Apples is the growers cooperative that marketed their fruits collectively.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Lake Chelan Fruit Growers
ID Number
1979.0441.001
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.001
This shipping crate side contained red delicious apples grown and packed by Tiger Mountain Orchards of Tiger, Georgia during the early 20th century. The crate side features an illustration of an orchard in front of a mountain.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side contained red delicious apples grown and packed by Tiger Mountain Orchards of Tiger, Georgia during the early 20th century. The crate side features an illustration of an orchard in front of a mountain.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
National Grocery Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.187
catalog number
1979.0441.187
accession number
1979.0441
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.This Blue Z brand apple crate label was used by the C.M.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Blue Z brand apple crate label was used by the C.M. Holtzinger Fruit Company of Yakima, Washington during the early 20th century. The label was lithographed by Stecher-Traung of San Francisco, California. The label has a blue background, with a pale circle in the center, with a cut-out Z in the center. The apples came from the Wenatchee Valley region of Washington that claimed to be the “Apple Capital of the World.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
C. M. Holtzinger Fruit Co. LLC
ID Number
1979.0441.099
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.099
Labels are an important marketing device.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Trustworthee brand apple crate label was used by the American Fruit Growers Inc. of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label was produced by the Western Lithograph Company of Los Angeles, California. The plain label has an orange background with a blue frame, with black text.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
American Fruit Growers Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.074
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.074
This Skookum brand apple crate was in use by the Northwestern Fruit Growers Association of Seattle, Washington, in the early 20th century.
Description (Brief)
This Skookum brand apple crate was in use by the Northwestern Fruit Growers Association of Seattle, Washington, in the early 20th century. Skookum was a Chinook word denoting “excellence.” Native American imagery was frequently depicted on the crate labels of various fruit distributors to evoke the idea of rich, natural produce. The Blue Goose label insert on this crate was a way for growers to maintain their product identity while benefiting from being in a large cooperative.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Skookum Packers Association
ID Number
1979.0441.069
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.069
Labels are an important marketing device.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Good Pickens brand apple crate label was used by the Cashmere Fruit Exchange of Cashmere, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label was produced by Louis Roesch Company Lithography of San Francisco, California. The label has an illustration of a smiling young boy holding a half-eaten apple. Fruit labels often would depict images of healthy young children to promote the health benefits of apples.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Cashmere Fruit Exchange
ID Number
1979.0441.082
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.082
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.This Chelan View apple crate label was used by the J.D.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Chelan View apple crate label was used by the J.D. Hamilton Fruit company of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label has an illustration of two red apples in the foreground, with an orchard on a hill next to a lake, with mountains looming in the background. Fruit crate labels often depicted landscapes like this to evoke the idea of rich, natural produce.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
J. D. Hamilton Fruit Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.013
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.013
Labels are an important marketing device.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Sapphire brand apple crate label was used by Standard Fruits Inc. of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The label was lithographed by the Ridgway Lithograph Company of Seattle, Washington. The label has a blue background, and an image of a sapphire ring in the lower right of the cover.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Standard Fruits, Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.092
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.092
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.This Renn brand apple crate label was used by the F.O.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Renn brand apple crate label was used by the F.O. Renn Company of Chelan Falls, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label was produced by the Traung Label Company of Seattle, Washington. The red label has an white circular inset with the image of a small chirping bird sitting on a branch. These wildlife scenes were often used to evoke a sense of rich, natural produce in the buyer.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
F. O. Renn Fruit Company
ID Number
1979.0441.045
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.045
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1850
ID Number
DL.67.0442
catalog number
67.0442
accession number
270017
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.This Rose brand apple crate label was used by J.M.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Rose brand apple crate label was used by J.M. Wade of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. This label was lithographed by the Ridgway Lithograph Company of Seattle, Washington. The label has a blue background with an illustration of two large red roses in the center. These apples came from Wenatchee, part of a region that claimed to be the “Apple Capital of the World.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
J. M. Wade
ID Number
1979.0441.126
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.126
Labels are an important marketing device.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Twin Peaks brand apple crate label was used by Phillippi Orchards of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The white lithographed label features a large red apple in the center, with two blue mountain peaks in the background. The mountain ranges in Wenatchee are a subset of the Cascade Range, and helped provide an ideal climate.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Phillippi Orchards
ID Number
1979.0441.039
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.039
Labels are an important marketing device.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This A-plus brand apple crate label was used by Standard Fruits, Inc. of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The label was lithographed by the Ridgway Lithograph Company of Seattle, Washington. The label has a red background, with an illustration of a young woman wearing a white tank top with the U.S. shield on it, similar to what an Olympic athlete would wear. Apple advertising often focused on the health benefits of eating apples, an idea that was supported by depictions of healthy young people on apple crate labels.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Standard Fruits, Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.123
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.123
Labels are an important marketing device.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Blue Mountain brand apple crate label was used by Mojonnier and Sons Inc. of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The label has an illustration of rolling fields of crops that are different colors among pine trees with mountains rising up in the orange sky in the background, with a golden apple and a red apple in the foreground. These apples are from Wenatchee, Washington, which claimed to be the “Apple Capital of the World.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Mojonnier & Sons Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.136
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.136
Labels are an important marketing device.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Wilko brand apple crate was used by the Wilbur-Ellis Company of Seattle, Washington during the early 20th century. The label has a yellow background with a green border, and a large red apple in the center.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Wilbur-Ellis Company Distributors
ID Number
1979.0441.062
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.062
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.This Jim Wade brand apple crate label was used by the J.M.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Jim Wade brand apple crate label was used by the J.M. Wade Packer and Shipper of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The label was lithographed by Stecher-Traung of San Francisco, California. The label has a black background with a red stripe down the center. These apples came from the Wenatchee Valley region of Washington, which claimed to be the “Apple Capital of the World.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
J. M. Wade
ID Number
1979.0441.117
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.117
Labels are an important marketing device.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Apple Capital brand apple crate label was used by Apple Capital Growers, Inc. of Wenatchee, Washington around 1933. The label was lithographed by Stecher-Traung of San Francisco, California. The label has a silhouetted image of a domed building, similar to the U.S. Capitol, and an image of a red apple in the foreground. Wenatchee claimed to be the “Apple Capital of the World,” a name that was appropriated for this companies branding.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Apple Capital Growers, Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.140
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.140
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.This Nuchief brand apple crate label was in use from 1900-1950.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Nuchief brand apple crate label was in use from 1900-1950. Nuchief often used an image of a Native American boy, but at some point began using an image of one yellow and one red apple next to their label inserts. This Okanogan brand insert depicts an orchard near a mountain. Fruit crate labels often depicted landscapes like this to evoke the idea of rich, natural produce.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Nuchief Sales Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.089
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.089
This Chere Best brand apple crate label was used by the Columbia Fruit Packers Inc. of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The label was lithographed by Stecher-Traung of San Francisco, California.
Description (Brief)
This Chere Best brand apple crate label was used by the Columbia Fruit Packers Inc. of Wenatchee, Washington during the early 20th century. The label was lithographed by Stecher-Traung of San Francisco, California. These apples came from the Wenatchee Valley region of Washington, which is colloquially known as the “Apple Capital of the World.”
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Columbia Fruit Packers, Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.112
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.112
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.This Don't Worry brand apple crate label was used by the George F.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Don't Worry brand apple crate label was used by the George F. Joseph Company of Yakima, Washington during the early 20th century. The lithographed label was produced by the Lehmann Lithograph Company of San Francisco, California. The label has a dark brown background, with an illustration of a young child with a ruddy glow in his cheeks holding a once bitten apple. Apple growers stressed the health benefits of eating apples in their advertising.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
George F. Joseph Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.070
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.070

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