Vintage 1920s-1940s Ruby Citrus Crate Label 🍊 Tavares FL, Pretty Girl Portrait For Sale

Size: 6.75 x 3 inches

🍊 Vintage Ruby Brand Citrus Crate Label — Lake Region Packing Assn., Tavares, Florida (Original, Unused)

Offered to collectors of citrus and crate-label ephemera: an original Ruby Brand citrus fruit crate label from the Lake Region Packing Association of Tavares, Florida. It is described strictly from the label itself, from the photographs, and from the documented history of the cooperative. This is genuine period lithographed paper in unused new-old-stock condition, not a reproduction. Price, quantity and listing details are as set; the notes below concern the packer, the label and its condition.

🏢 The Packer: Lake Region Packing Association

The attribution is printed on the face: "Lake Region Packing Assn.," "Tavares, Florida," with "Citrus Fruit" and "Produce of U.S.A." The Lake Region Packing Association was founded in 1909 on the shore of Lake Dora in Tavares — one of the earliest citrus cooperatives in Florida. As a cooperative it pooled, graded, packed and shipped the fruit of many local growers under shared brands, and its lakeside site with railroad access placed it at the junction of Lake County's groves and the rail lines north. For much of the twentieth century it was led by Jennings Bryan "Babe" Prevatt, hired in 1926, who served roughly twenty years as secretary-manager and twenty-six as president-manager and guided the co-op through the Great Depression. Under him it became the dominant packer in Lake County — by 1971 shipping over 1.7 million cartons, roughly 50% more than the county's next-largest shipper — and the leading packer of the then-new Orlando tangelo. The packing house operated for nearly a century, closing in 2005; the association itself closed in 2022. This label is an artifact of a genuinely major Florida citrus institution.

💕 The Brand and Regional Context

Tavares lies in Lake County, in interior central Florida's citrus belt — the lake-dotted country whose numerous lakes moderate winter cold. The "Ruby" brand follows the classic "pretty girl" portrait convention of the citrus trade. What is documented is the packer, and it is a notable one.

📦 Design and Imagery

The label is of horizontal (landscape) format. At left, within a chartreuse (yellow-green) circle, is the portrait of a smiling young woman with softly waved dark hair and a pearl necklace. To the right, "RUBY" is set in large white display capitals outlined in red and pale blue, against a deep midnight-blue ground. Below the name are "Lake Region Packing Assn." and the origin in green script, "Tavares, Florida"; "Citrus Fruit" appears in yellow at lower left. It is a classic portrait ("pretty girl") citrus label, a popular and distinct subject within the field.

🖼 New Old Stock — Why It Survives Unused

Citrus and produce shipped in nailed wooden crates that each required a pasted paper label, so packers and associations stockpiled labels in bulk. The post-war changeover to pre-printed corrugated cartons made the paper labels obsolete, and surplus stock survived unused, frequently in clean, unpasted condition. This label is such an example: never applied, with a completely blank reverse.

🏡 Condition Report

Summarised from the photographs:

• Type: Single original lithographed paper crate label, unused (new old stock).
• Reverse: Blank, clean and unprinted — consistent with a label never pasted to a crate.
• Colour: Rich and well preserved; deep navy ground, crisp red-and-white lettering, warm clear portrait, no significant fading evident.
• Surface: Light, honest character of stored vintage paper; offered exactly as pictured.
• Format: Horizontal (landscape) citrus-label proportion.
• Completeness: A complete single label as shown; no restoration, addition or concealment.

🎁 Identifying an Original

Several features support this as a genuine period label rather than a reproduction. The reverse is blank, uncoated period paper, whereas a modern reprint is typically on brighter, whiter, often glossier stock. The colours read as solid lithographic ink rather than a halftone dot screen, and the portrait shows the tonal handling of period lithography rather than a photographic halftone. The association attribution, the origin and the "Produce of U.S.A." line are consistent with authentic mid-century production. Buyers are encouraged to examine the photographs, which are the definitive record of the item on offer.

❓ Notes for the Collector

Florida citrus labels are a distinct field within crate-label collecting, and portrait labels are among the most popular subjects across the whole category. An association-attributed example from a named Lake County town, tied to a documented and historically significant cooperative such as the Lake Region Packing Association, carries specific regional and historical interest. Bright, unused new-old-stock survivors are the most desirable for display; this Ruby label is exactly such a piece.

🌴 "Babe" Prevatt and the Making of a Leader

Much of the association's rise can be traced to one long-serving manager, Jennings Bryan "Babe" Prevatt, hired in 1926. He served roughly twenty years as secretary-manager and twenty-six as president-manager — a span of leadership that carried the cooperative through the Great Depression, the Second World War and the post-war transformation of the citrus trade. Under his stewardship the Lake Region Packing Association rose from being, in 1938, the third-largest packer in Lake County to being, by 1971, its outright leader, shipping more than 1.7 million cartons of fruit in a single season — roughly half again as much as the county's next-largest shipper. The co-op also became the leading packer of the Orlando tangelo. The packing house on Lake Dora ultimately operated for nearly a century, closing in 2005, and the association itself closed in 2022. This Ruby label is the trade dress of that institution at its height — a small artifact of a genuinely major Florida citrus enterprise.

✨ The Cooperative Model and Its Endurance

A packing "association" such as Lake Region was a growers' cooperative — many local growers pooling their fruit to be graded, packed, shipped and marketed together under shared brands, giving small growers the reach of a large shipper. This model, common in Florida citrus, is part of why the association endured: founded in 1909 and led for decades by Jennings Bryan "Babe" Prevatt, it grew into Lake County's dominant packer, shipping over 1.7 million cartons by 1971 and leading the market for the then-new Orlando tangelo, before finally closing its packing house in 2005. The Ruby brand is the trade dress of that institution, which gives this label a documented historical depth beyond its graphic charm.

🍊 The Pretty-Girl Genre and How Labels Were Used

Portrait or "pretty girl" labels form a distinct and popular subject category within crate-label collecting; a wholesome portrait attached to a brand drew attention and goodwill in a market where most crates looked alike. Each such label was pasted to the end panel of a wooden crate so the brand faced outward as crates were stacked and sold at distant markets, which is why the design combines an appealing face with bold, legible lettering. Unused, never-pasted examples such as this one are the most desirable to collectors today, both for their condition and for the period styling they preserve.

🏢 Condition Grading and Display

Crate labels are generally collected in original, unrestored condition and graded chiefly on colour, cleanliness and freedom from tears, creases, stains and paper loss. This Ruby label rates strongly on each: an unused example with a rich navy ground, crisp lettering, a warm clear portrait and a clean reverse, with no restoration. It frames beautifully — the deep colour and friendly face reward a simple frame with a neutral mat. As with all vintage paper, acid-free framing materials and a position out of direct sunlight preserve the colour, and the label should be handled by the edges and kept dry. Given that ordinary care it will remain exactly as pictured for generations.

💕 In Short

In sum: a portrait label of real charm, backed by one of Florida's oldest and most significant citrus cooperatives, in genuine unused condition. It appeals at once to the crate-label specialist, the collector of Florida citrus and pretty-girl labels, and anyone drawn to well-documented regional history — a piece that displays beautifully and reads clearly as the original it is.

📦 Summary

An original, unused Ruby Brand citrus crate label from the Lake Region Packing Association of Tavares, Florida — a cooperative founded in 1909 on Lake Dora and, by the 1970s, the dominant packer in Lake County — in horizontal format, with the smiling portrait of a 1940s young woman in a chartreuse circle against a deep navy ground. Genuine new-old-stock with a clean blank reverse and rich colour. A charming pretty-girl citrus label from a historically significant Florida co-op, and lovely framed. Offered exactly as pictured; the photographs are the record.