ENAMEL SIGN GALLERY
Museum Rooftop Level: The Public Gallery
Known as ‘street jewellery’, enamel signs originated from the mid-1800s as a form of advertisement for food, household items, petrol and a variety of services in the United Kingdom. Made through the process of vitreous enamelling where coloured glass was fused to iron plates, enamel signs were often displayed outdoors with catchy phrases and bright colours advertising for specific products. Since specialist shops selling only one type of product was usually the norm, enamel signs became an effective advertising tool to not only indicate to shoppers where they can find specific products but also an effective branding tool for companies to set them apart from other similar products.
LOOK OUT FOR THESE ENAMEL SIGNS AT THE GALLERY
JONES' SEWING MACHINES
Curated under the Theme of: Tasks At Home
S
S
MAKER:
Unknown
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
Unknown
YEAR OF MAKE:
Unknown
CAMPBELL SOUP
Curated under the Theme of: Delicacies of the Middle-Class
For the uninitiated, enamel signs were common advertising tools in olden day grocery stores and markets. We’re proud of our big enamel sign collection, but perhaps the one that we prize above all else is that of this unique 1960s-derived Campbell Tomato Soup sign.
Aesthetically it’s modelled to look like the brand’s iconic brand of canned soups, but what makes this the most iconic (and valuable) is the unusual curvature of it that gives it a three-dimensional look—a design trait unheard of during that era.
MAKER:
Unknown
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
United States of America
YEAR OF MAKE:
1960s
BOVRIL
Curated under the Theme of: Delicacies of the Middle-Class
MAKER:
Unknown
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
Unknown
YEAR OF MAKE:
Unknown
HORLICKS
Curated under the Theme of: Infant Care
MAKER:
Unknown
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
Unknown
YEAR OF MAKE:
Unknown
PETER WALKER LAGER
Curated under the Theme of: Industrial Alehouse
MAKER:
Unknown
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
Unknown
YEAR OF MAKE:
Unknown
BRADBURY'S CYCLE
Curated under the Theme of: Infant Care
MAKER:
Unknown
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
Unknown
YEAR OF MAKE:
Unknown
