Josiah Turner Sign

Date1810-1825

MediumPaint on eastern white pine with iron brackets

DimensionsOverall: 18 3/4 x 44 x 1 11/16in. (47.6 x 111.8 x 4.3cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1958.707.1

DescriptionA framed, one-sided signboad displaying lettering, several slippers, and a Hessian-style boot. The signboard is composed of two boards aligned horizontally, and thre is no ground layer beneath the paint.Label TextThis signboard bears lettering and symbols only on one side, so presumably it was affixed to the front (or possibly side) of the shop where Josiah Turner made and repaired footwear. A row of tiny swags at the top edge gives the advertisement a festive touch. Varying colors enliven the simple silhouettes of the boot and flat-heeled slippers, as does the artful shaping of the top of the boot. Carefully executed subtler details include the sweep, or angle, of the back of the boot and the realistic wrinkles at its front, where the wearer would have flexed his ankle.

The lettering is a variant of a Caslon typeface that dates to the early years of the nineteenth century. That fact, combined with the style of the footwear and the row of swags, all suggest a date before 1825.
Inscription(s)"Josiah Turner" is painted on the obverse.ProvenanceThe Old Print Shop, New York, NY.