Henry Vanhorn Shop Sign

Date1800-1805

Attributed to Edward Hicks (1780-1849)

OriginAmerica, Pennsylvania, Newtown (probably)

MediumOil and pencil on tulip poplar panel

DimensionsOverall: 18 7/8 x 56 x 2 1/2in. (47.9 x 142.2 x 6.4cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1986.707.1

DescriptionThe object is a framed rectangular signboard made from a panel of poplar wood. The painting advertises the name of "Henry Van Horn Carpenter and Joiner," painted across the lower portion of the sign in a black border decorated with flowers on each end. Above this border is a pictorial representation of some of the items to be made by Henry Vanhorn. On the left propped up on saw horses is a picture of a black coffin, in the center, is a four-drawer cupboard, and to the right is a cradle.
Label TextHenry Vanhorn opened his cabinet shop in Newtown, Pennsylvania, in 1796. At that time, Edward Hicks was sixteen years old and working as an apprentice. Probably created around 1800, the signboard may be the artist's earliest surviving work. Vanhorn moved to Lower Makefield Township, Bucks County, around 1800 and was listed in the tax records as a carpenter. He may have ended his woodworking career and taken up farming around 1812.

The sign shows Vanhorn was capable of satisfying his customers' carpentry needs "from cradle to grave." Interestingly, Hicks reversed the progression by painting the coffin to the left, a chest of drawers in the center, and a cradle at the right. Vanhorn may have corrected an error on the sign since an "e" at the end of "HORN" was scraped off.

The execution of the sign differs from easel painting in its linear, draftsmanlike style exemplified by the clearly defined letters and bold linework around the pictorial images. It could be read easily at a distance, and its visual impact as well as its message were eye-catching. Two nail holes, one above the image of the coffin and the other within the image of the cradle, indicate the sign was originally nailed to the facade of Vanhorn's shop.

Carved into the back panel is "1790," which may have been added at a later date. Its significance is unknown.

ProvenanceHenry Vanhorn, Bucks Co., Pa.; to his son John R. Vanhorn (b. 1820), Bucks Co., Pa.; to his son Joseph Feaster Vanhorn (1854-1924), Bucks Co., Pa.; to his son Joseph Watson Vanhron (b. 1890), Bucks Co., Pa.; to his son Joseph Feaster Vanhorn (b. 1917), Bay Head, NJ.

Exhibition(s)