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Oglesby Citrus Label Collection

 Collection
Identifier: H-Mss-1053

  • Staff Only

Scope and Contents of the Collection

This collection contains over 80 citrus labels from Southern California from the late 19th century and early 20th century. The labels predominately originate from Claremont and North Pomona, California from as early as the 1890s and until the 1950s. In addition, the collection provides some historical insight into the culture of these areas through the art depicted on the labels, including artistic renditions of local packing houses, students and athletes from The Claremont Colleges, and Native Americans.

Dates

  • Creation: circa 1890s-2014

Creator

Language of materials

Languages represented in the collection: English.

Access

Collection open for research.

Publication Rights

All requests for permission to reproduce or to publish must be submitted in writing to Special Collections.

Biography / Administrative History

Long-time Claremont residents, the late Professor Larry Oglesby and his wife, Alice began collecting Claremont and North Pomona labels sometime around 1990. They first became interested when Claremont Heritage started selling some of the more common Claremont labels, such as the "Athlete" labels and others relating to The Claremont Colleges. As history enthusiasts, the beauty of the labels' artwork and their connections to local history appealed to the Oglesbys.

Sometime in the early 1990s, the Oglesbys started attending the Citrus Label Society meetings every three months, especially those that were held at the Sunkist headquarters off the 101 freeway in Los Angeles. There the Oglesbys met a number of other people who were interested in labels. Before long, those selling labels started watching specifically for Claremont and North Pomona labels for the Oglesbys. Through this method, the Oglesbys were able to fill in any gaps in their collection by purchasing essentially every label offered from areas they didn't already have. The vast majority of the labels were purchased between 1990 and 2001 with a few as late as 2005. Several members of the Citrus Label Society "thought it was a good thing that these older Claremont and North Pomona labels were going back to Claremont."

When Pomona First Federal Savings and Loan started producing citrus label calendars, the Oglesbys discovered that the calendars helped them to find out about some other local labels that they hadn't known about. Box 2, folder 8 contains a "Morning Glory" citrus label as well as its calendar counterpart. The calendar label differs slightly from the authentic citrus label including the name of the packing house.

Source: Oglesby, Alice. "Re: Invitation to the CCEPS final presentation." Message to Lisa L. Crane. 13 Dec. 2014. E-mail.

Larry C. Oglesby was born in Corvallis, Oregon on March 26, 1936, the son of Loris Calmer Oglesby and Margaret Elaine Williams. Oglesby attended Oregon State University where he completed his undergraduate degree in botany. He obtained his master’s degree in zoology from Florida State University in 1960. In 1964, he completed a doctoral degree in zoology at the University of California, Berkeley. During this same year, he met Alice Shoemaker, a microbiology graduate student from Lawton, Oklahoma, who would later become his wife. In 1968, Professor Oglesby joined the Pomona College faculty, where he spent 30 years as professor of biology. He died on April 16, 2001, in Claremont, survived by his wife, Alice Oglesby; two sons, Ian Bruce Oglesby and David Douglas Oglesby; and their respective families.

Source: "Larry Oglesby, Ecological physiologist". Claremont Courier 21 Apr. 2001: obituaries. Print.

Extent

0.8 Linear Feet (2 oversized document boxes)

Abstract

This collection of over 80 citrus labels from Southern California, some dating as early as the 1890s, was collected by Alice and Larry Oglesby, long-time Claremont residents. Larry Oglesby was a professor of biology at Pomona College, where he taught for 30 years. The bulk of the collection originates primarily from Claremont and Pomona, California. Several books on citrus labels were also donated as part of the collection.

Organization and Arrangement

This collection is organized at the item level. Each item is sleeved, placed in its own folder and the folders are arranged in alphabetical order by citrus label name.

Physical Location

Please consult repository.

Provenance/Source of Acquisition

Gift from Alice S. Oglesby, 2014.

Accruals

No additions to the collection are anticipated.

Related Materials

Related materials providing information on citrus, fruit, and other produce industries may be found in the following collections in The Claremont Colleges Library Special Collections and Archives:

  • H.Mss.0243 Crookshank Grove, LaVerne Orange and Lemon Association records
  • H.Mss.0205 The Claremont Colleges Library Special Collections Agricultural Ephemera Collection
  • H.Mss.0169 Samuel J. Carroll Papers
  • H.Mss.0726 San Bernardino Chamber of Commerce and the National Orange Show letters and documents
  • H.Mss.0524 William McPherson Papers
Special Collections and Archives holds the following related periodicals:
  • California Citrograph. Los Angeles, Calif.: California Citrograph Pub. Co.
  • Citrograph (Redlands, Calif.). Redlands (Lugonia P.O.), Calif.: S. Craig.

Separated Materials

The following monograph items can be found in the Claremont Colleges online catalog using the keyword search term "Oglesby Citrus Label Collection":

  • Barker, Richard H. Citrus roots, our legacy: citriculture to citrus culture. [Upland, CA]: Upland Community Foundation, 2004.
  • California Citrus Institute. First annual report of the California Citrus Institute: for the Season 1919-1920. Riverside, Calif.: The Institute, 1920.
  • Faye, Tom; Collings, Adam Randolph Collings. California Dreaming, the golden age of label art. Anaheim, Calif.: A.R. Collings, 1993.
  • Jacobsen, Pat. Pat Jacobsen's collector's guide to fruit crate labels : 1994-97. Weimar, Calif.: Patco Enterprises, 1997.
  • Jacobsen, Pat. Pat Jacobsen's millennium guide to fruit crate labels: a price guide and collector's reference. Weimar, Calif.: Crate Expectations Publishing, 1999.
  • MacCurdy, Rahno Mabel; Lockabey, V. A.; Barker, Richard H. Citrus roots -- our legacy: selling the gold; history of Sunkist and Pure Gold. [Upland, Calif.]: Printed by Upland Public Library Foundation, 1999.
  • McClelland, Gordon T.; Last, Jay T. Fruit box labels: a collector’s guide. Beverly Hills: Hillcrest Press, 1983.
  • McClelland, Gordon T.; Last, Jay T. Fruit box labels: an illustrated price guide to citrus labels. Santa Ana, Calif.: Hillcrest Press, 1995.
  • Merlo, Catherine. Heritage of gold: the first 100 years of Sunkist Growers, Inc., 1893-1993. [Los Angeles, Calif.]: [Sunkist Growers, Inc.], 1990s.
  • Sunkist Growers, Inc. Brands of oranges and lemons controlled by the Southern California Fruit Exchange: February 1901. [Los Angeles]: [Times-Mirror Printing and Binding House], 1901.

Processing Information

Processed by Phoebe Huth in 2014 in the Claremont Center for Engagement with Primary Sources (CCEPS), with assistance from Lisa Crane. This collection was minimally processed. Materials are in their original mylar sleeves and retain their original folder titles and organization. Monograph items were removed from the collection, added to Special Collections' monograph collection and cataloged in the Claremont Colleges Library online catalog. These items can be located in the online catalog using the keyword search term “Oglesby Citrus Label Collection”.

Title
Oglesby Citrus Label Collection
Status
Completed
Author
Phoebe Huth, CCEPS Fellow, Fall 2014
Date
2015
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the 01 - Special Collections & Archives, The Claremont Colleges Library Repository

Contact:
800 North Dartmouth Ave
Claremont CA 91711 United States