Trade Sign: Spectacles

Date1875-1900

Attributed to E. G. Washburne & Co.

MediumPainted, cast, white metal (possibly a zinc/lead/tin alloy)

DimensionsOverall: 6 x 24 x 1in. (15.2 x 61 x 2.5cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1957.806.1

DescriptionGold-painted, hollow metal tubing forms the "frame" of this eyeglasses trade sign; a flat portion of sheet metal soldered inside each "lens" is painted to look like an eye.
Label TextE. G. Washburne & Co. offered this sign in ten sizes, ranging in length from twelve to eighty-four inches. About 1900, this twenty-four-inch version sold for $6.25.
Opticians and jewelers sold eyeglasses, and Washburne's cast- and hand-painted signs could be seen hanging in front of both types of businesses well into the twentieth century. This example was found in Danville, Pennsylvania.
ProvenanceFound in Danville, Pennsylvania, in April 1956, by Edith Gregor Halpert, Downtown Gallery, New York, NY.

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