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exceptional c. 19th century all original diminutive antique american visually striking optician or optometrist storefront trade sign with original gilded finish over wood and "flash" glass lenses
  • exceptional c. 19th century all original diminutive antique american visually striking optician or optometrist storefront trade sign with original gilded finish over wood and "flash" glass lenses
  • exceptional c. 19th century all original diminutive antique american visually striking optician or optometrist storefront trade sign with original gilded finish over wood and "flash" glass lenses
  • exceptional c. 19th century all original diminutive antique american visually striking optician or optometrist storefront trade sign with original gilded finish over wood and "flash" glass lenses
  • exceptional c. 19th century all original diminutive antique american visually striking optician or optometrist storefront trade sign with original gilded finish over wood and "flash" glass lenses
  • exceptional c. 19th century all original diminutive antique american visually striking optician or optometrist storefront trade sign with original gilded finish over wood and "flash" glass lenses
  • exceptional c. 19th century all original diminutive antique american visually striking optician or optometrist storefront trade sign with original gilded finish over wood and "flash" glass lenses
  • exceptional c. 19th century all original diminutive antique american visually striking optician or optometrist storefront trade sign with original gilded finish over wood and "flash" glass lenses
  • exceptional c. 19th century all original diminutive antique american visually striking optician or optometrist storefront trade sign with original gilded finish over wood and "flash" glass lenses
  • exceptional c. 19th century all original diminutive antique american visually striking optician or optometrist storefront trade sign with original gilded finish over wood and "flash" glass lenses
  • exceptional c. 19th century all original diminutive antique american visually striking optician or optometrist storefront trade sign with original gilded finish over wood and "flash" glass lenses
  • exceptional c. 19th century all original diminutive antique american visually striking optician or optometrist storefront trade sign with original gilded finish over wood and "flash" glass lenses
exceptional c. 19th century all original diminutive antique american visually striking optician or optometrist storefront trade sign with original gilded finish over wood and "flash" glass lenses

exceptional c. 19th century all original diminutive antique american visually striking optician or optometrist storefront trade sign with original gilded finish over wood and "flash" glass lenses

SKU: UR-26164-17
19th century american hand-carved pine wood optician trade or advertising sign featuring the highly desirable anaglyph lenses consisting of cobalt blue and ruby red "flash glass" insets or panels. the remarkable trade sign retains the original textured gold leaf finish over wood, that has aged nicely over time. the well-maintained optician trade sign, in the form of eyeglasses or spectacles are of typical form, with curvaceous bridge and oval-shaped rims. the richly colored panels are fastened from the backside. no cracks or breaks evident in the glass "lenses." purportedly from a philadelphia eye doctor's office. the trade sign took many forms in early america. when education was a privilege and literacy rare, the ideal trade sign immediately caught the attention of a passerby and, because of its design, was totally self-explanatory. folk artists, sometimes including itinerant portrait painters, created signs that bore pictures that visually explained the name of the establishment or the services to be found within. these signs usually carried pictures or lettering on both sides and were hung from a tall post at right angles to the road, so as to be visible to travelers approaching from either direction. three-dimensional carved trade signs were often produced in the same workshops as figureheads and other ship decorations and usually displayed the same broad-planed carving style that typified american figureheads. the introduction of electric signs, which could advertise a business in the dark, led to the decline of the carved trade signs.

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