ME...the last Sun-Maid Raisin Girl

Around 1960-61 I worked for Fiberboard Paper Products in San Francisco as an elevator operator and file clerk. One day I was called to the art department, and because I had an interest in getting into the art department, I thought they wanted to find out about my art interests...so I went. I was asked by the artist for a favor, and that was, to hold a tray and draw my hands.

Thinking nothing of this, I volunteered and held the tray...the artist sketched the image and was telling me about the changes being made to the Sun-Maid image and the package, they were modernizing it, "more importantly, it was to be kept with the same recognizable pose."

When I went back to the art department I saw the painting, I was surprised to see it looked like me...being a freelance model I didn't think much about it. Some of my co-workers then called me the raisin-gal...I thought it was funny.

After leaving Fiberboard to pursue my Modeling, I never saw the image for years. Then one day in 1970 my mother called and said, I was at the store and saw the Sun-Maid package and your picture was on it! Well of course I had to go buy a box.

For years I had talked about it, wondering if Sunmaid knew about me. So when I got a computer I emailed the Company asking if they knew about me, but all I got back was a reply saying, "thank you for offering to pose for the box, we have an image that will be there for a while!" I had to laugh!

In 1999 the local newspaper did a story on the Sun-Maid image and me. The reporter contacted the Company but no one there ever heard of me. Being made to feel like I was making up a story, I felt very unsettled. Determined to get things straightened out I contacted Sun-Maid Growers of California and told them my story, they replied with a call and some mail information for my curiosity.

As time went by we did phone tags and emails, then one day I was invited to Kingsburg (near Fresno) to meet with the President of the company. My husband and I made the journey February 2006, we had a wonderful meeting and after much research they welcomed me as the image on the box.

It's a good feeling to know I have resolved something I thought and talked about for many years...it is a good thing.

Although the image has changed with the times, the Sunmaid trademark design has always been based on the original pose by Lorraine Collett Petersen 1915.

This lens has many images, including some old modeling photos below the guestbook...so please refresh the page to have all images appear.

The intro image above enlarged....yes, I had dark hair!

I still have people thinking this is a joke, no this is the true story about me and my image on the box featured at this time...

Several years ago we drove back to California for a vacation. Then on our way back we stopped in a small mining town in Colorado, visiting an Antique shop...there I found an old Sun-Maid raisin box that for many years I have been looking for. This box had the image of Ms.Peterson from a long time ago... asking how much the small box was, I was informed it was Not For Sale, just on display...I told him the story of how I looked for this image before mine was on the box. I requested, if he ever finds another one to let me know.

About a year later I received a small package, in it was the box I had looked at in the Colorado Antique Store, with a note inside explaining, "this really belongs to you." I was so thrilled with this kind gesture, not even knowing this man...so indeed I am very grateful to him for this gift.
What a nice thing to do!

A nice gentleman named Gary Neveln contacted me on Facebook, he is related as a distant cousin to the baseball player Earl Whitehill who married the Sunmaid Girl on the calendar, Violet Oliver (Geissinger)
He sent me the following link to the story of Earl and Violet.
The Baseball Biography Project.

Let me know if you run across items with my image on it... like a lunch box, dolls, postcards, or any other unusual items that are reasonably priced...
Please contact me.

My Lens of The Day aka LOTD for the Sun-Maid Girl Raisin Girl lens! It is very much appreciated....Thank You!

A Purple Star for the Sun-Maid Girl Raisin Girl lens!
Thank you for the nomination and all the kind comments...

Download a FREE E-reader or a PDF book Sun-Maid Anniversary eBook download

The 100th Anniversary Book pertains to history of the Sun-Maid, also answers to all your questions about the growing, producing and the marketing of raisins and dried fruits.

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Because of the re-energized controversy about the Sun-Maid Raisin girl in the commercials, I have had inquiries about the image change...quite frankly I would not know of a change, the only change I'm aware of is the Hollywood-tized maiden selling grapes in a commercial. Unfortunately there are some people out there that don't like the change...I find it interesting since the commercials have been out for a couple of years (see below April 23, 2006).

When a new commercial was released this controversy started again. Personally I think it's just a meaningless argument and more about opinions. There are those that have a problem with an identifiable product image and change, be it Coca Cola or any other identifiable product.

I think the girl in the commercial is cute although a bit Julia Roberts, but hey, it's a new image of an old gal (oops that would be me!)

What bothers me more then anything else, is when someone makes a comment that is downright rude, crude and vulgar...really, there's no need for that, after all it's an animated image! There are way too many problems in the world that need to be taken care of and worried about then have a controversy about the Sun-Maid image. The good thing that will come out of this controversy, is that Sun-Maid will be selling a lot more products.

OK, I'll stop with the sermon...all this is just my opinion.

I modeled off and on since childhood and some of these photos now seem a bit weird to look at, the hair and the cloths...interestingly enough it's all coming back, but not for me! Been there done that!

I wish I had all my modeling photo composites, but I lost them over the years from moving so many times.

Some of the photos on the right are just a few that bring back memories modeling years ago. Maybe I will get the courage to post more in the near future.

A Blast from the Past are the funny ones...like the local advertisements.