Sign, Trade

Title:

Franklin Book Store

Object Name:

Sign, Trade

Object ID:

1966.550.04

Creator:

Low, William (1779-1847)Artist

Place of Origin:

Concord, NH

Date:

1810

Description:

Trade sign, Franklin Book Store, Concord, NH, 1810. Painted by William Low (1779-1847). Painted wood. Long horizontal rectangle with a half circle mounted above center. Within this circle is a polychrome portrait in colors of Benjamin Franklin seated at a desk with shelved books behind him. Beneath the portrait is the word "FRANKLIN" in slanting gold block letters with a pair of books lying at either side of it. Beneath this in larger upright gold letters, "BOOK STORE" running the full width on a black background. Narrow gold-edged molding around entire sign.

Material:

Wood

Dimensions:

H-56 W-96 D-1.5 inches

Provenance:

Sign made and lettered by William Low in 1810. The portrait of Franklin was painted by "an artist of some note named Marshall." It hung over the store and was later moved with the store to Hills Block, built in 1826 at the corner of what is now Capitol and Main Streets. Fire destroyed the upper portion of this building in 1864 and it was replaced by Sanborn's Block and the sign rehung over the new store therein where it remained until 1889.

Credit Line:

New Hampshire Historical Society Collection

People:

Franklin, Benjamin (1706-1790), Martin, David (1737-1797), Savage, Edward (1761-1817), West, Benjamin (1738-1820), Low, William (1779-1847)

Subjects:

Portraits, Signs, Bookstores, Franklin, Benjamin