Railroad Museum to Debut a Whole New Crop of Fruit Crate Art as Phase Two of the Popular “Pick Me!” Exhibit Opens April 10

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Back by popular demand, a second phase of the visually-powerful exhibit titled “Pick Me! Fruit Crate Art & the California Dream” is opening soon at the California State Railroad Museum. You will delight in a whole new crop of whimsically designed fruit crate labels from the 1880s through the early 1950s that inspired many to “Go West” in search of the California Dream. Through this continuing vibrant exhibit, guests will gain an appreciation for an early art form that featured beautifully bold imagery, learn how California’s fresh produce was kept cool during transport before refrigerated cars and discover why the railroad was the key to the early success of the California agriculture industry. Additionally, you will also have the hands-on opportunity to create your own labels using magnetic cut-outs of typical design elements, so bring a camera to capture your creations. Museum guests of all ages and interests are sure to enjoy the second phase of the popular “Pick Me! Fruit Crate Art & the California Dream” exhibit at the California State Railroad Museum.

Due to popular demand, the California State Railroad Museum will debut phase two of a visually-powerful exhibit titled "Pick Me! Fruit Crate Art & the California Dream" on Tuesday, April 10, 2012. A whole new crop of more than 100 fruit crate art labels from the 1880s through the early 1950s will be on display as part of the second phase of this vibrant exhibit located inside the Museum's restored 1924 Fruit Growers Express Refrigerator Car and along a re-created loading dock/icing station.

Chosen from the Museum's collection, and on loan from the California State Library and private lenders, the evocative art portrays vibrant hues and whimsical motifs that romanticized life in the Golden State and served as an alluring call to "Go West." Beginning in the 1840s, early railroads experimented with shipments of perishables cooled by ice. In the decades after 1869, when the Transcontinental Railroad connected West with East, techniques for cooling insulated wooden railroad cars--using ice--were perfected. Suddenly a vast new market opened up for California's farmers. As the primary means of transport, the railroad was instrumental in the early expansion and success of the Golden State's agriculture industry. But along with sharing luscious fresh produce with new markets, these refrigerated cars (known as "reefers" in railroad slang) inadvertently delivered something more to a wider population--the California Dream.

Filled with fresh California produce, wooden shipping crates were identified on their exteriors by artistically and fantastically designed labels. Dripping with color, these labels communicated the powerful allure of the Golden State. Many labels depicted verdant fields and idyllic pastoral scenes, subtly suggesting that California was a magical place - a place where it was always sunny and the grass was somehow greener. Visitors to the second phase of the "Pick Me!" exhibit will enjoy seeing new selections of historic labels and exploring how fruit crate art developed over time as a graphic art form, a printing technique and a means of marketing. This exhibit will also explore the mechanics of how ice was packed into the top hatch of each "reefer" car to keep it cool in this era before mechanical refrigeration.

Additionally, Museum visitors will also have the hands-on opportunity to create their own labels using magnetic cut-outs of typical design elements. "Pick Me! Fruit Crate Art & the California Dream" will remain on display through October 31, 2013. For more information, please visit www.californiastaterailroadmuseum.org or call (916) 445-6645.