Signs in Early America

In early America, so many people couldn't read that businesses often put out signs with painted pictures showing what they made or sold. Picture signs even continued to be popular long after the literacy rates improved. After all, they were eye-catching and interesting. I guess it's the same reason today that a book, movie, or music cover is designed by a graphic artist and tries to have wide appeal.

Some of these have been considered to be among the first artwork in the British colonies. The sign was usually painted on both sides of a wooden board and hung perpendicular to the building. Today these are highly collected as folk art, and even reproductions are popular.
Whether you visit Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia; Old Salem in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Historical Philadelphia; Colonial Boston; or some other preserved colonial area, you'll likely find some painted signs with a picture advertisement.

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