The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-12-23
Old TIM STREET SIGNS
THE WOODEN INDIANS THE LAST
RELICS OF A PICTURESQUE
TYPE
POETRY OF TAVERN BOARDS
Famous Artists Who Occasionally
Painted SiGRboards-Friend
of an Old Cigar Dealer and
His Sir Walter Raleigh.

'Dombey and Son. would be noticeably
mutilated with the midshipman left out
the little wooden midShipman, who al
ways stood in front of the shop door of
the instrument maker, Solomon Gill. with
his telescope forever glued to his eye
and taking minute observation of the
pasSers-by in the street Dickens evil
IDENTIFY was fond of these signs and SYM
bols, which, in the early part, and even
far on into the middle of the century
were wont to be posted in front of
tradesmen's shops, to say nothing of the
countless varieties of strange beasts and
birds which decorated the sisnbeards of
INNS He makes great case of them In
many instances besides that of the wood
en- midshipman. They were, in fact, a
conspicuous feature of the Atreet piano.
rama in our grandfather's days, but they
nave gNle the way of many other old
time things, says the New York Sun.
The wooden Indian, Sir Walter Raleigh
the dude and the bicycle girl in front of
the cigar stores are about all that are
left of this image population that used
10 be so common in the streets. PERHAPS
the dummies that stand before the cloth
ing stores with their exhibition garments
sadly IN need Of a good brushing might
come within the category but they are
poor substitutes, With their google eyes
asd mere wire frame bodies, for the
The wax busts and full-length figures Of
women in the wig and millinery and dry
goods store windows are of a higher
grade OF workmanship. Yet even of
these, none represents a mere sentiment
or abstraction as did the old street signs.
Ihey are tainted with the materialism Of
the day. They are there because thew
are useful, serving the purpose of mere
models on which to hang the wigs or
cloaks or gowns. Now and then one finds
IN the city a boar's head in front of a.
del1catessen store or a tin fish in front
OF sporting goods store, but even these
are disappearing rapidly.
Ihere was a downtown sign dealer q
lew years ago who had in front Of his
shop wooden Sir Walter RALEIGH her.
petually offering to passers-bv a bundle
OF twenty-five very wooden cigars This
dealer had something of the old-tine
sentiment touching his sign that Dick
ems throws over the wooden midship-
man in front Of old Sci Gill's. He was an
Irishman, this dealer, and it was g. mat.
ter of faith with him that Sir Walter had
not been mere sojourner in Ireland but
was native born to the old sod So there
was strong dash Of patriotic sentiment
in his cult of the craven image He al.
ways spoke of ''Sir Walter with much
respect, and trundling him into the store
when he closed up at night was quite q
frequently when he had escorted the one
time faVorite of Queen Bess to his corner
behind the door, after he had locked up,
he addressed him with remarks about
the weather or the condition of ths
streets or the state of trade.
Pretty chilly out there this evening
wasn't it, Sir Walter?' he would say.
I'm going to have a bit of whisky my
self and would be glad to have you come
along with me. only one Of US ought to
be here to watch the store. Besides
know you don't drink though a hot drop
would do You no harm. We didn't do
much today, Sir Walter, but no fault Of
yours Sure, you stood there all day in
viting them in, and you nobleman at
that
The old man, as a matter of fact, did
not do a roaring business and was So
much alone in his shop that this COM
muning With his august silent partner be,
Carte second nature to him, and nobody
doubted that the lonely old man-for ne
was W-ifeless and childless-had some
thing closely akin to human sentiment
of affection for his password companion.
Personally, he was far from being fas>
tidious himself and his shop was a dingy,
cobwebby old den, but Sir Walters gay
ruffies and hose and dcublet were always
tucked out in the smartest way possible
to fresh paint. He is gone now, old Jim
peared; moved over to Jersey somewhere,
where at last accounts he was leading
1issipated, aIl-night-in-t he-streets life OF
it, and became sadly weatherbeaten
and bedraggled as a consequence.
But it was in the latter days of the last
century that the trade images and sign
boards f1eurished at their best In this
country. Sedate Philadelphia was noted
for them even in those times when they
were so common everywhere. Earlier in
the century in England they ran riot In
the London streets and were made the
topic of not little critical comment. In
the british Apollo in lilo, for instance,
was this rhyme:
I'm amazed at the signs
AS 1 pass through the town;
To see the odd mixture
OF Maybe and Crown,
The Whale and the Crow,
The Razor and Hen
The Leg and Seven Stars,
The Ale and the Bottle,
The Sun and the Lutte,
The Eagle and Child,
The Shovel and Boot.
As late as 1918 Palmer, an Englishman,
commented en- the signs he saw in the
CT of Ph;1adalDhia The War of the