Summer Harvest 2015 Forever Postage Stamps Self-Adhesive Booklet for Everyday Mail

As the 19th century produce industry became a big interstate business, competition among growers increased.  Each sought new and unique advertising gimmicks to beat out their rivals.  They hired skilled lithographers to design and print vibrant crate labels.  Images of bright yellow lemons and vivid red tomatoes popped off the labels, enticing customers and effectively marketing the various brands.

Many old crate labels still exist in collections and antique shops.  The remaining examples provide a timeline of agricultural marketing over three-quarters of a century.  Today referred to as “agro-lithography,” these images offer a colorful glimpse into the history and changes in American advertising during that time.

The art for these stamps was inspired by vintage shipping crate labels, seed packets, and catalogs inspired.  Each stamp in the set was designed and drawn by Michael Doret.