The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-09-07
A CAMPAIGN BANNER FACTORY.
How Most Elaborate Designs Are
Rushed Through at Railroad
Speed.


Already the campaign banner is swing
ing mid-air across the avenues and adorn-
ing the various political headquarters
Very few people;o as they gaze on these
works of art, have any idea of their man
ufacture-si1aply knowing that they ap-
pear after the selection of the candidates
for presidential honorS, and aSsociating
them with fireworks, brass bands and or
atory.
The making of campaign banners is,
however. an extensive business-several
firms devoting themselves exclusively to
THEM manufacture. It is true that ban
ners are sometimes gotten up by sign
painters and the small shops that spring
up for the occasion, but they are not to
be clasSed with the banners turned out
by these regular factories visit to one
of these establishments reveals some
interesting facts
On the cheap banner only the names
and sentiments of the candidates appear,
but the large and costly ones have the
portraits of both nominees painted in
ovals, separated by fanciful designs.
the most popular. The emblems are Won
derfully and fearleS5ly gotten up, the
eagle performing feats that would tax a
enthusiastically balanced on a shield,
MS talons fllled with enormous punches
of arrows a penant expressing his po
litical opinions floating gracefully from
his beak; or with a shield suspended from
his neck he takes his wild flight across
and other designs are executed in an
equally striking manner.
The first class campaign banner is the
product of the combined efforts of three
nlen-the portrait painter, the sign paint
er and the sailmaker. In making the
banner the work is divided up. The paint
ing, which is done on sized muslin. may
be accomplished in two ways. If the man
is an expert, he takes a large circle of
pasteboard, having the features cut out
and traces the general outline and size
of the head, using a photograph to finish
the portrait from.
But the usual method is by the use of
stencils each stencil being for a different
color. The large pieces of muslin, tackled
on boards. are ranged IN d row around
the room. and men with pots of paint
pass from one to the other with great
rap4dity. Painter No. L lays in the hair
No. 2 follows with the flesh tint, No. 3
puts on the shirt and collar, and No. 4
the coat; thus the foundation is laid for
the artist. who comes along with his huge
palette and completes the portrait.
Meanwhile the sign painters, perched
on stools and boxes, are putting on long
strips of muslin THE Peoples Choice"
and other equally hatterlng sentiments.
The sailmakers cut roll of square
meshed net into different banner sizes,
binding them with a thick rope covered
with canvas.
No stencils are used for the emblems;
they are spontaneous bursts of the ara
ISIS imagination. He can Indulge his
taste in eagles as fierce and warlike as
he pleases. and Liberties as defiant This
is not all a banner ono painted is not a
loss even if it remains on the firm s
hands. As the artist remarked, Putting
ON or taking off mustache or beard, re
arranging the hair, an extra touch of fat
or lean as the case requires is small
matter, accomplished by few strokes OF
the brush" The sign painter IS equally
handy at altering the political notices.
The banner takes some days to dry,
and a week to finish. a section is placed
paint downward ON the floor and the net
on top, and the sailmaker, sitting on the
floor sailor fashion, sews it all together
Then the banner is ready to be raised
with wild cheers and flare of red fire.