The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-16
SIGNS CARRIED BY MEN.
Some or tho Moro Familiar Among Thorn and
Some OF the Curiositics.

Some or tho More Familiar Among Thorn and
Some OF the Curlositics.
The walking sandwich. the man between two
billbou1is slung around the neck, and hanging,
ono in front, the other behind. is not seen so
much MS he was. He was tho most picturesque
of all tho walking sign carriers, and no was at
one time the most commonly seen. His decline
is doubtless due to n belief that an elevated sign,
one carried above tho head line, is of greater
utility. The sandwich man was striking when
you met him, but In n crowd you might miss
him altogether; the elevated siVn, carried above
the heads of the people, is expected to DO seen by
all, and In one form and another it Is now tho
sign most commonly carried.
There are, however. still some signs besides
sandwich boards that are carried below the head
line. or these the most familiar 10 the coat
sign, a coat with q sign painted upon 1t, worn
by men who may, perhaps, remain near tho
establishment to which they belong, or who
walk about. There is at least one man in New
York who has worn a sign coat-a canvas coat
in dry weather, q rubber coat in wet, with the
same sign painted on ~each-daily for years.
Wearing a sign coat is as much his regular occu-
patton as writing is the occupation of the man
who writes this brief article about signs that
are carried.
There is another sign carried below the head
the valise sign, which scarcely comes within the
purview Of this article, for tho reason that tho
carrier of the valise sign is in costume, and
signs so carried by men, whose curious outfit is
relied upon to attract attention. form a group
by themselves. Still, perhaps, mention may BIO
made of the valise sign here. 1t is painted upon
the fiat side of an old alligator mouth
valise, whose carrier walks about the street,
visiting at intervals the store whence he comes.
Pausing there for n moment on the sidewalk, he
looks up intently at the sign, over the door. and
then enters in, sallyinS forth again. Presently
he starts on another round.
Another form Of portable sign which depends
IN a m mea tn tns upon n,asn me manner thnnrb In wh ospr IL rs
are not in uniform. is the painted. block. The
sign is painted upon, the sides of a block OF
dress suit case, and has a handle at the top.
Such signs. to the number of four or five. are
carried by two boys, who to begin with set them
down upon the curbstone fifteen or twenty feet
apart. Then they begin moving the blocks. one
stone. The rear boy picks up his block and car
ries it along, the sidewalk past the other blocks
a ahead duo, Of the first block and then goes back
for another. On the way to the rear he meets
the ls; other Ss Boy boy going nn1 lo to the in front ron s w,,h m a BLOCK
and so they keep going; forever picking up the
last block and carrying 1t to the front and set
ting il down at the head, and 80 working along
the street.
Between the signs carried below the head and
carried on or about the head. There is, for in
stance, the tall hat sign. which the carrier
wears, WIN the sign painted upon IL OF painted
upon something attached to it. Carried at night
is the electric hat sign, with light from lamps
fed by a storage battery shining through letters
perforated In a tall hat. The illumination can
be turned on or off at the will Of the wearer Of
the hat rs he walks. a day sign carried about
the head Is in the form of a transparency, the
lower part Of the frame resting upon the car
rier's shoulders.
Among the signs carried above the head ia an
electric sign. which is carried at night: 1t Is in
the form OF a thin transparency. Electric light
shines through transparent letters in the sides
control of the carrier, who may make the sign
elevated signs carried by day-and by far the
greater number Of all the signs that are carried
are carried, by day only-is in the form
pain e ssre ths t Sign of pan r npaa wnieh th ,s
big frying pan is borne aloft by the handle.
Various other devices are used in elevated port
able signs and various materials, but the elevated
signs most commonly used are either banner
signs or shoulder signs, the ordinary banner
signs being the more common, though the
shoulder signs are increasing.
The common banner sign Ia simply a wooden
frame upon which Is stretched a glazed white
cloth. tho sign being painted upon that: by
means OF a handle attached to 1t the banner Is
carried over the shoulder or above the head.
The shoulder sign is held up above the head in
an iron frame that is carried upon the shoulders.
The shoulder pieces Of this frame bend down
over the shoulders OF the carrier. front and back.
and are held in place by straps. This sign is toll
erably heavy, but it leaves the hands free and is
the easiest sign to carry.