The Wild, Wild West

The Western frontier is part of the cultural tradition of the United States. For a century, the cowboy has been an iconic American image, representing such values as rugged individualism, patriotism, courage and masculinity. Cowboys were a common theme in advertising, particularly in the period from 1920 to 1960, decades after the frontier was fully settled. Using cowboys to sell apples and cantaloupes may seem a bit odd, but that's what growers and distributors did back in the day. The Western images appeared on the labels of wooden crates which were used to ship their products--and attract hungry consumers at the grocery store. Here are a few examples.