Crate Label: Schooner Brand, California Lemons, Sailing Ship, NOS, Vintage 1930s

Schmidt Lithography Co. once occupied a landmark clock tower building in San Francisco, and this schooner scene ranks among the finest surviving examples of their citrus label work.

• Brand: Schooner Brand / California Red Ball
• Origin: Goleta, Santa Barbara County, California, USA
• Lithographer: Schmidt Lithography Co.
• Packing House / Grower: Goleta Lemon Association
• Materials: Paper, lithograph
• Dimensions: 10.75" wide × 8.5" tall
• Era: Vintage, circa 1930s–1940s
• Condition: New Old Stock (NOS) — unused, excellent condition, found in original factory stock, light creases on bottom corners, age-appropriate yellowing. Please review photos closely before purchasing, as all sales are final.

A full-rigged schooner — sails set, hull driving forward — makes way through a running sea, clouds building behind it and a mountain rising in the distance, with real drama in a ship under way rather than a peaceful harbor scene.

Frame it as coastal or nautical decor — it works in any interior that wants the open sea on its walls. A natural companion to the Corinthian sailboat label also available in our shop.

Schmidt Lithographic Co.,  San Francisco, California, was one of the oldest lithographic firms in the USA, established in 1873 when German immigrant Max Schmidt became one of the first printers to bring lithography to the West Coast. His business burned down twice before he even reached San Francisco, and the 1906 earthquake leveled it a third time — yet he rebuilt each time, and the company thrived until merging with Stecher-Traung in 1964. It's easy to see, in the crispness of this label, why Schmidt was counted among California's great printing houses.

A wonderful gift for a sailor, a maritime history enthusiast, or a coastal decor collector.