A Walt Gosden Special: Signs of the Times Part III
Automotive historian Walt Gosden has posted the second of his "Signs of the Times" series.
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
SIGNS OF THE TIMES PART 3
by Walt Gosden
The variety of signs was endless but their goal was the same - information, send a message- be it about a location, product or in some instances both. Both porcelain and pressed steel and painted steel could be wonderful in colors to attract the viewer of just plain to be direct and to the point as soon as possible.
The porcelain signs cost more to produce but were much more weather resistant then pressed steel or painted wood. All of the signs were made for exterior display (or interior display where it could possibly be damp with moisture). The Europeans, notably the British preferred the porcelain signs due to their countries weather conditions - notable long periods of wet and damp weather conditions.
The Rheingold sign is painted steel with raised pressed lettering. 17 x 24 inches . It was attached to a fence or building in Bushwick section of Brooklyn where "the dry beer" was brewed. There are those reading this that may recall the annual "Miss Rheingold" contest that existed from 1940 to 1965. I recall photos of the competitors hanging from a string each year in the local delicatessen that also had an area where I could go to by packs of baseball cards and candy dots.
The Hupmobile sign is porcelain and has seen a lot of wear but is approximately 90 to 110 years old. . It is double sided so was made to hand so it could be viewed from both sides, probably from chains that went to a bracket extending from a wall.
The Pratts sign is 18 x 21 inches and porcelain as well. It advertises a very popular "petrol" that was for sale in the British isles.
The smallest sign is pressed tin/light steel and reflects a aw of the 1930s that many people wanted to see rescinded. When the "dry" years were over a huge long island based business of "rumrunners" ceased and their speed boats, many powered by 12 cylinder Packard engines were up for sale. The plate you see here I restored and it is attached to a Packard ( 8 cylinder not twelve cylinder) in my garage.
Comments
Walt, you might know Bruce Adam a longtime member of The Motor Parkway Preservation Society who has a Model A with a similar REPEAL plate.
That Model A is fully dressed!