Chas B. Klein Watch Trade Sign
Name/Title
Chas B. Klein Watch Trade SignEntry/Object ID
2007.0081.0001Description
The large gilded and painted pocket watch is from about 1910 and was probably for a jeweler or watch maker. There’s actually two names on it, so it probably had more than one owner. The name “W. EFFEY”, can be faintly seen near the center, who may have been the original store owner and sold the business to, “Charles J. Klein”. It was not unusual for signs to be painted over with a new owner’s name or maybe a separate business altogether.Context
Signs in the 3D shape of a product or service offered by the business are called trade signs. American trade signs were common in the 18th and 19th centuries and typically used wood, and later metal as their main material. They used easy to understand symbols and limited wording not only because of low literacy rates but also the variety of languages spoken by immigrants. But, by the 1920s, trade signs began to fade away as the population became more educated, immigration slowed and illuminated signs took over.Collection
Permanent CollectionCategory
Painted Wood, Metal — Non-illuminated, Signs/Displays
Signs/Displays