French Toile Peint Bespoke Milliners Trade or Shop Sign
An Interesting French Toile Peint Bespoke Milliners Trade or Shop Sign in the Form of a Red Painted and Gilded Bicorne Hat as Worn by Napoleon Bonaparte
Early 19th Century
Size: 25cm high, 64cm wide, 27cm deep - 9¾ ins high, 25¼ ins wide, 10½ ins deep
Early 19th Century
Size: 25cm high, 64cm wide, 27cm deep - 9¾ ins high, 25¼ ins wide, 10½ ins deep
Interesting French Toile Peint Bespoke Milliners Trade or Shop Sign in the Form of a Red Painted and Gilded Bicorne Hat
In 1732 Dean Johnathan Swift wrote of Dublin’s shop signs ‘I have not observed the wit and fancy of this town so much employed in any one Article as that of contriving a variety of signs to hang over houses where punch is served’.
Before the general spread of literacy and standardised postal addresses brightly painted signs hung outside shops and businesses to advertise the services or goods within. Shop signs are one of the most long established forms of European folk art. The golden age of trade signs was from the late 17th century to the early 19th century. In the late 18th century many large cities placed prohibitions on the installation of street furniture as streets became more crowded and inhospitable. This, together with the rise of literacy and the spreading of the use of plate glass allowing for elaborate window displays, put an end to this particular form of street art.
Before the general spread of literacy and standardised postal addresses brightly painted signs hung outside shops and businesses to advertise the services or goods within. Shop signs are one of the most long established forms of European folk art. The golden age of trade signs was from the late 17th century to the early 19th century. In the late 18th century many large cities placed prohibitions on the installation of street furniture as streets became more crowded and inhospitable. This, together with the rise of literacy and the spreading of the use of plate glass allowing for elaborate window displays, put an end to this particular form of street art.
French Toile Peint Bespoke Milliners Trade or Shop Sign
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