Series VII. Labels (paper and tin), circa 1875-1955

Product Labels: While the practice of utilizing printed labels is as old as printing itself, modern package design did not begin to evolve until after the Civil War when advancements in printing, paper production and chromolithography made the affordable mass production of elaborate and colorful designs possible. By 1900, chromolithography would reach its zenith, prompting some to call the latter half of the 19th century the period of "chromo-civilization." Included here are various examples of how printed labels were utilized for packaging, identification, and instructive purposes, displaying a fascinating compendium of design styles and influences reflective of their eras.

Hatbox Labels: The modern hatbox (a derivative of the Victorian bandbox) was a frequent item found among the possessions of both men and women well into the mid 20th century, when the wearing of hats was customary for all occasions. As a valued accessory, it was a standard practice for hats to be sold with hatboxes for their protection. These boxes (commonly made of sturdy pasteboard and decorative paper), came adorned with an elegant label displaying the name of the manufacturer or department store where purchased, along with a convenient carrying strap. In this way, the box transcended its practicality by serving as a portable form of status and advertising for both the owner and the retailer. Perhaps because of their usefulness as physical containers, attractive packaging, and the sentiment attached to them as objects of value, many hatboxes have survived among families over several generations and continue to be utilized and collected for a variety of purposes.

Luggage Labels: Luggage labels, with their elegant graphics featuring exotic locals, luxury modes of transportation, and grand hotels, bear witness to the "Golden Age of Travel," a period which spanned the late 19th century to the outbreak of World War II. Affixed to luggage by railroad companies, steamships, hotels, and resorts, they provided the practical means of identifying luggage destination, but also served as romantic advertisements for the destinations themselves. For the traveler, such labels were a sign of personality, taste and status, and over the course of years, their accumulation provided an autobiographical history of places visited, hotels stayed in, and transportation used. A remnant of past places and times, they beautifully evoke the spirit of this bygone era.

Please Remit: The economic prosperity of the 1950s, spurred by the growth of commercial advertising and the introduction of the modern credit card, gave way to unprecedented consumer optimism and spending, as more and more Americans embraced the ease and convenience of "putting it on plastic" as a way to pay for purchases. For many collection agencies, a useful aid in collecting debts was the "Please Remit" notice, inserted into billing envelopes as a way to cajole payments from debtors after two or three months of unpaid bills. Today these "friendly reminders" provide a nostalgic look at the mores and manners of an earlier time.