The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-06-03
SIGNS OFF THE TIMES.
oddities of Advertising Seen in Washing
ton and Its Suburbs.

oddities of Advertising Seen in Washing
ton and Its Suburbs.
A little stroll out Of the highways of
this city into the byways will perhaps
reveal to the casual observer of busi-
ness signs a variety of signs which no
other city in the Union can support, re-
marks a writerin the Washington Post,
The one apparent fact about the signs
here is that there are elaborate bust
ness signs where there is utterly no
signs of business being done within.
One curious old colored woman up near
the M street bridge displays outside of
her very small and dirty shop, in a
style of sign writing which would make
q modern artist in that business green
with envy, Homemade pies, cakes,
pigs feet, cabbage, chidlings, pork
steaks and chicken fish" A near
neighbor storekeeper, keeping the same
class of goods, but who is as interesting
an Irish woman as the first one is an
African, sells NEW milk, SKINNED
milk, butter milk and butter, fresh
eggs, cream cheese, snow-balls and coal
and wood"
The city has "a Grass cabinet MAX
err" John Hare, barber, shaving 5
cents" "a Stone carpenter" "a Horst
livery stable, in the alley" and A.
Wolf, tailor" while on the avenue is
tartistical tailoring done"
In one of the Oldest streets On George
| town we have am undertaken who must
keep up to the times at lively pace,
for he advertises on a card in his little
| xyiY1GhOtu ffNJONro1fiaes PIITQ-
tuation, or the lack of punctuation,
plays a large part in this collection of
signs. One colored man wishes to in
dictate that his place is open all might,
but his sign reads, "Oysters in every
style open all night, Raw box on the in
side" One colored oyster dealer along
the river front, who, in the absence of
liability to spell "oyster," has tackled ON
the outside of his store three oyster
shells, and beneath them has written,
"By the PIT. OF. or Gal. 25cts.," which
seems to indicate it makes no differ
ence how many you buy, the given
quantity will cost Is cents. Another
oyster dealer in the same locality has
six oyster shells tackled UP and beneath
them is written. "Ice oysters Wholes.
& retail by the pit. gal. s. pigsfeet."
A lunch room in "Foggy Bottom" or
Smoky Hollow" displays sign which
reads, Lunch room, meals at all hours,
milk, cream, eggs. butter, butter-milk,
soft drinks, ice cream, cakes, pies,
bread, candy and varieties, etc" What
the varieties would prove to be upon
investigation are too numerous to men
ton in so short a space. Another Fog
gy Bottom" establishment informs us
that Mrs. Rucker sells lard, 10 cents;
pure lard, ~ cents" Pay your money
and take your choice of lard or pure
lard. "Sauerkraut" is spelled 'sour
lSrout" and "sour krowt." Along the
famous old Water street of Georgetowni
one sees where hive bate is for sale
within" A portable lunch room, in the
form Of small, dilapidated baby car
riage displays from it's side, MARY, the
Wild Cat, fresh lunches, "Clamsonice"
Mary, the Wild Cat, is the ancient col
ored man who runs the lunch room, or
rather pushes 1T, and the last word in
the sign is intended to represent CLANS
on Ice"
Another one of these portable lunch
rooms has displayed from its side,
oysters by the pit. at. or gal. plate"
William Burns coal and wood" Is "a
sign over in the northeast, which seems
to indicate there is at least one man
who has not missed his calling. Anold
Irishman in this same section, who has.
more land than he wants, but prefers
to be his own real estate agent, has put |
up a sign on a lot he has for sale, |
which reads, For sale, buy the owner" |
Near the Center Market is a butter |
whose Sign says my eggs |
are strictly FRESH" and am energetic |
"Soals half solids while you |
wait" Miss Mary Sinclair in the |
northwest is a modest and plain sew
err" A gentleman from Georgetown |
has evidently served at the profession |
Of tonsorial artist and dentist, for he
has now combined two ways of making |
a living in front room of his home,
and advertdses hair cut and teeth /
pulled. Painless" Mr.. w. d. Smead |
Is probably manufacturer of iron rail-
lngs, but his sign reads, "manufac-
tured of iron ratings" Even in the
grip cars of the Washington and
Georgetown railroad the sign painters
have failed to punctuate the signs in
the end of the cars which tell where
he cars were built, and the signs read,
John Stevenson Co., QimitedD N. Y.
lon't talk to the gripman." But the
Sign which breaks all the bounds of con
sistency is in one of the toughest sa-
oons in the Division" and reads,
Where do you expect to spend eterni-
W"