Material: Northeastern white pine, single board, white, black green and gold paint
Condition: Excellent save the vestiges of time, weathering, original condition
Additional Information: A great example of a “Maine” sign painted on a single board
having applied moldings displaying - “F.E. Barrows” in uppercase green and gold
painted letters flanked by an image of an anvil on the left and the image of a rearing
horse on the right, each withing fancy painted frame.
F.E. Barrow’s Blacksmiths were listed in the 1900 and 1907 town records for Paris,
Maine and additionally in the Annual Register of Maine on page 632, for the town of
Paris in 1900.
Condition: Very good, scattered areas of paint touchup
Additional Information: A small example featuring an unusual oil on canvas dial face
of which we have not encountered. The face is mounted on a hardwood frame within
double applied bentwood case body. The pendant and crown are cut flat, another
possibly unique feature. Hand wrought bow is tapered and shows good tooling.
Material: Painted on plywood with applied side moldings
Condition: Fine
Additional Information: Frank Luckner was a noted magician and prop master who
worked with Harry Blackstone, Sr. The very graphic front is hand painted; back
stenciled: LUCKER MAGICIAN.
Additional Information: Long rectangular panel with white lettering and images of a
scissors and iron on a black field, with applied gilt molding. As is often the case, the sign
was refreshed early in its original working life [19th century] for M.M. Brown. The patina
is flat and dry.
Preferential weathering is the primary factor in the in the subject raised lettering. There
are no signs of edge tool relief surrounding any lettering; the shallow relief letters are
the direct product of weathering…many years of climatic abuse formed the raised letters
that were protected by original paint layers. Other signboards displaying preferential
weathering are in the Connecticut Historical Society Collection and other private and
institutional collections. This signboard has lost all its background paint with the weather
producing a fantastic bare, weathered and worn background displaying a rich and
robust dark patina. 1.Close examination of the weathered surface shows a preferential
reduction of the background without paint while the areas that were painted are
preserved. The mechanism that causes this remarkable and complex surface is an
environmentally precipitated erosion brought about by the combined effects of sunlight,
wind, wind-borne debris, moisture, fungus, freezing, and thawing. These environmental
attacks are far more devastating to a bare white pine surface than a painted one, which
is why we paint wooden houses. The preferential part of the mechanism takes
advantage of the relative toughness of the protective paint film. It makes perfect sense
that the details remain raised in a weathered signboard while the background recedes
step by step as the relative thickness of the paint films are worn away. In conclusion,
there are strong indications that weather is the mystery carver responsible for the finely
raised detail visible. 1. Lions & Eagles & Bulls / Early American Tavern & Inn Signs From
The Connecticut Historical Society, Edited by Susan Schoelwer; chapter 7 by Alexander
M. Carlisle, pp.80, 81, 82, 83.
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![19th Century Road Sign, Western Massachusetts, Preferential Weathering
Pine, applied molding, original condition, BEST patina (48.75'' x 16.25'' x 1.5'')
Arrows point to Wendell, Locks Pond [Village was part of Shutesbury], Petersham, Athol & Orange (Massachusetts), entire view 1](https://www.aaawt.com/images/Sign,-Western,-MA,-Weathered_1379-1.jpg)
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Pine, applied molding, original condition, BEST patina (48.75'' x 16.25'' x 1.5'')
Arrows point to Wendell, Locks Pond [Village was part of Shutesbury], Petersham, Athol & Orange (Massachusetts), detail view 1](https://www.aaawt.com/images/Sign,-Western,-MA,-Weathered_detail-1_1379-1.jpg)
![19th Century Road Sign, Western Massachusetts, Preferential Weathering
Pine, applied molding, original condition, BEST patina (48.75'' x 16.25'' x 1.5'')
Arrows point to Wendell, Locks Pond [Village was part of Shutesbury], Petersham, Athol & Orange (Massachusetts), detail view 2](https://www.aaawt.com/images/Sign,-Western,-MA,-Weathered_detail-2_1379-1.jpg)
![19th Century Road Sign, Western Massachusetts, Preferential Weathering
Pine, applied molding, original condition, BEST patina (48.75'' x 16.25'' x 1.5'')
Arrows point to Wendell, Locks Pond [Village was part of Shutesbury], Petersham, Athol & Orange (Massachusetts), detail view 3](https://www.aaawt.com/images/Sign,-Western,-MA,-Weathered_detail-3_1379-1.jpg)
![19th Century Road Sign, Western Massachusetts, Preferential Weathering
Pine, applied molding, original condition, BEST patina (48.75'' x 16.25'' x 1.5'')
Arrows point to Wendell, Locks Pond [Village was part of Shutesbury], Petersham, Athol & Orange (Massachusetts), back view](https://www.aaawt.com/images/Sign,-Western,-MA,-Weathered_back_1379-1.jpg)
