General Electric Refrigerator Opal Glass Sign

Object/Artifact

-

American Sign Museum

Name/Title

General Electric Refrigerator Opal Glass Sign

Entry/Object ID

2018.0008.0001

Description

This is a circa 1920 internally-illuminated, opal glass letter porcelain enamel sign. The entire sign cabinet of this early lightbulb sign is copper, which is a major factor in the sign’s excellent condition.  Most signs of this era were constructed of tin (sheet metal), and were therefore subject to rusting.  Once copper is oxidized it is incredibly durable and almost immune to the elements. Early electric signs with opal glass are rare. G.E. (General Electric) was formed out of a merger between Thomas Edison’s Edison Electric Company and the Thomas-Houston Electric Company in 1893, all of which was arranged by J.P. Morgan.  Today, both companies are still operation under GE.

Collection

Permanent Collection

Category

Signs/Displays, z_New Category Needed (Re-sort)

Made/Created

Time Period

1910 - 1919

Place

City

New Rochelle

State

New York

Dimensions

Height

44-1/2 in

Width

72 in

Depth

8-1/2 in

Weight

75 lb

Material

Porcelain enamel, Fluorescent Lightbulbs, opal glass, copper

Location

Category

Storage

Condition

Overall Condition

Very Good

Overall Condition

Good