Crate Label, Bronco Brand, California Navel Oranges, Vaquero on Bronco, NOS, Vintage 1949

Western Lithograph Company printed some of California's most kinetic crate art, and this label — in continuous production for over a decade — is one of their finest examples of motion captured in stone.

• Brand: Bronco Brand / Redlands Foothills Groves, Redlands, California
• Produce: Oranges (Navel)
• Origin: Redlands, California, USA
• Lithographer: Western Lithograph Company, Los Angeles, California (est. late 1890s; in business until 1955)
• Materials: Paper, stone lithograph
• Dimensions: 10.75" wide × 9.875" tall
• Era: Vintage, 1949 (design introduced circa 1937)
• Condition: New Old Stock (NOS) — unused, excellent mint condition, age-appropriate yellowing. Please review photos closely before purchasing, as all sales are final.

A Vaquero — a Mexican cowboy — rides a full-speed bronco across the composition, lasso coiled and ready, the horse at full extension beneath him. The image was inspired by a painting by H.W. Hansen, an artist of the H.S. Crocker Company of San Francisco — a named artistic source that's almost unheard of in crate label provenance.

Frame it as Western or equestrian decor, or as a piece of California history that happens to double as art — a study, ranch office, or hallway all suit it well.

Western Litho Company operated in Los Angeles from 1899 until the mid-1950s, and this design ran for over a decade, from its 1937 introduction into the 1950s, making it one of the longest-running and most beloved labels in the California citrus canon.

A wonderful gift for a Western enthusiast, an equestrian collector, or a California history devotee.