California Wine Label and Ephemera Collection, 1920-1987, bulk 1930s-1940s

View only results with digital items
Printable guide [HTML]
Request items

Summary

Title:
California wine label and ephemera collection
Dates:
1920-1987, bulk 1930s-1940s
Abstract:
The bulk of the collection comprises wine labels and ephemera created by California winemakers and wine companies in the 1930s, 1940s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The core of the collection consists of wine labels printed by Lehmann Printing and Lithographing Co. in San Francisco in the 1930s and '40s. These materials were supplemented in the 1970s and '80s with wine labels and ephemera from extant California wineries. The collection also contains pamphlets, brochures, newsletters, newspaper and magazine articles, press packets, business cards, advertising matter, correspondence related to the collection, and winery histories (1970s and '80s); and a small number of labels for beer and other liquor manufacturers in California, mostly dating from the 1930s and '40s. Prominently represented in the collection are the printing firms Lehmann Printing and Lithographing Co., San Francisco (1930s-1940s); and Herdell Printing & Lithographers, St. Helena (1970s-1980s).
Extent:
4 Linear Feet (8 boxes)
Language:
The bulk of the collection is in English, with some labels in Spanish and German.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item, date], California wine label and ephemera collection (Kemble Spec Col 07). California Historical Society Collection at Stanford, Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The bulk of the collection comprises wine labels and ephemera created by California winemakers and wine companies in the 1930s, 1940s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The core of the collection consists of wine labels printed by Lehmann Printing and Lithographing Co. in San Francisco in the 1930s and '40s. (Most undated labels fall into this group, although some may date from the nineteenth century). These materials were supplemented in the 1970s and '80s by Bruce L. Johnson, Curator of the Kemble Collection on Western Printing & Publishing, who solicited wine labels and other ephemera from extant California wineries. In addition to wine labels, the collection contains pamphlets, brochures, newsletters, newspaper and magazine articles, press packets, business cards, advertising matter, correspondence related to the collection, and winery histories, collected by Mr. Johnson in the 1970s and '80s; and a small number of labels for beer and other liquor manufacturers in California, mostly dating from the 1930s and '40s.

Prominently represented in the collection are the printing firms Lehmann Printing and Lithographing Co., San Francisco (1930s-1940s); and Herdell Printing & Lithographers, St. Helena (1970s-1980s). Numerous other California designers and printing firms are also represented.

Acquisition information:
Acquired by California Historical Society from a variety of sources. Transferred to Stanford University Libraries in 2025.
Arrangement:

Wine labels are arranged in alphabetical order by winery or wine company name, with label designers and printers entered in parenthesis, when known. Beer and liquor labels, and labels for out-of-state or unidentified wines, are filed at the end of the collection.

Physical location:
Special Collections and University Archives materials are stored offsite and must be paged three business days in advance. For more information on paging collections, see the department's website: https://library.stanford.edu/libraries/special-collections.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid prepared by Frances Wratten Kaplan and Marie Silva.
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-12-08 14:05:16 -0800 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for research. Special Collections and University Archives materials are stored offsite and must be paged three business days in advance. For more information on paging collections, see the department's website: https://library.stanford.edu/libraries/special-collections.

Terms of access:

While Special Collections is the owner of the physical and digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns. See: http://library.stanford.edu/spc/using-collections/permission-publish.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item, date], California wine label and ephemera collection (Kemble Spec Col 07). California Historical Society Collection at Stanford, Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.

Location of this collection:
Department of Special Collections, Green Library
557 Escondido Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-6004, US
Contact:
(650) 725-1022
chscollection@stanford.edu
Website