The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-12-23

the sign0oards had become so multi
tudinous in the Quaker City and so dan
geroUs in high winds to passersby in the
streets that they were declared to be a
pubic nuisance and orders were issued
for the rem oval of all of them. save
those in front Of inns But the inns were
plentiful and even after this wedding
out the signboards We're a picturesque
feature OF the streets. Many of them
were considered works of high art and
some of them, in fact, were painted by
artists Of renown. There are several still
preserved WI ich Were done by the hand
OF benjamin West, and still others bv
artists VINO had been pupils of West's
Mrs. Alice Morse Earle, in her book
stage Coach and Tavern Days" recent
~ published by the Macmillans, deyotes
d very interesting chapter to the subject
OF olo- SagnboardS in which she nuts in
condensed form, accompanied by many IL
Illustrations, mass of information ON this
curious subject. Speaking of the signs
painted by Benjamin West she saws:
Benjamin West painted many signs in
the vicinity of Philadelphia, among them,
In lIll, that of the Three Crowns, a noted
hostelry that stood ON the Kings High
way in Salisbury Township, Lancaster
county. This neighborhood was partly
settled by English immigrants, and the
old tavern was kept by a Tory Of the
NNNPN'N OS Liz SISnDOdfQ SI1t1 pears
the marks Of the hostile bullets of the
Continental army, ana the proprietor
came near sharing the bullets with the
sign. This Three Crowns was removed
In 1916 to the Waterloo Tavern, kept by a
relative Of the old landlord. The Waterloo
IaVern was originally the Bulls Head,
and was kept by Revolutionary officer
by tradition West also painted the Sign
board Of the Old Hat Tavern This was
Kept by Widow Caldwell in Leacock
township, Lancaster county, on the old
Philadelphia road
THE Bulls Head Inn of Philadelphia
had sign suited to its title It was sold
in the middle Of this century to an Eng
ishman as the work of Benjamin West
This Inn stood in Strawberry alley, and
West once lived in the alley, and so did
Bernard Wilson, painter and glazier, In
the days when the inn was young and
had no stgnboard. And as the glaZier sat
one day in the tap-room bull ran foam
ing into the yard and thrust It's head with
in the tavern window. The glazier had a
ready wit, and quoth he: This means
something. This bull thrust his head in
as sign, so 1t shall be the sign of the
inn, and bring luck and custom forever
I think those were his words; at any rate,
those were his deeds.
''Wcst also painted the Ale Brewers,
One side had man holding a glass Of
ale and looking through it. The other
side showed two brewers porters carry
ing ale cask slung with case hooks
on a pole-as was the way of ale porters
at that day. 1t is said that West was
offered $500 for red lion sign board he
had painted in his youth. In the vicinity
of Philadelphia several taVerns claimed to
have signboards painted by the Peales
and by Gilbert Stuart, and an artist
named Hicks is said to have contributed
of art. = A philadelphia tavern
with a clumsy name, though a significant
one, was the Federal Convention of 1887
Inn. cannot imagine any band Of taV-
ern tippiers or jovial roisterers ever meet
ing there, but it was doubtless used for
political gatherings. 1t had a most pre-
tentiOus sign painted by Matthew Pratt
a pupil of Benjamin West 1t was said
that his signs were painted in style tnat
should have given them place in picture
gallery, had it not been that tho galleries
of those days were few, and artists found
their most lucrative employment in paint
ing signs for tavernS and stores. This inn
kept first by a man named Hanna, then
by George PopaI, was at 17S South street,
near Fifth street. The sign was a paint
ing of the national convention, which
met May IA, 1877, in the state house, or
Independence hall, to frame the consti-
tuition of the United States George
Washington was president, Mayor Mil
liam Jackson was secretary. The conYen-
ton met in the east room, which was dis
tinctly and correctly represented on the
Signboard; its wainscoting, the Ionic
pilasters supporting a full entablature be-
meath a coned ceiling, all were taken down
by commissioner of repairs, and all now
are happily reproduced and restored. On
one side Of the signboard Washington WIS
seen seated under the panel bearing the
arms of Pennsylvania. The dignilied Judge
Wilson occupied the chair, and Franklin
sat near. At the heads wA'e portraits
On both sides Of the signboard were the
lines:
These thirty-eight men together have
agreed
That betto&. times to US shall very soon
Watson, writing in 1857, tells of the
end of this historic signboard: This In
valuable sign, which should have been
copied by some eminent artist and en-
graved for posterity, was bundled abcur
like the Casa Santa" Of Loretto from
post to pillar till it located at South
street near the old theater. The figures
are now completely obliteraJed by a
heavy coat of brown paint on which IS
letteTed: Fed. Con. 17S7.''
The tavern signboardS were MT only
artistic IN many cases but they very Of
ten dropped into poetry as well. The
Union hotel of Philadelphia, as late as
ACNuJ WHICH, Lie IlOVcl NdS DSS1 10
succeed the good old-fashioned inn and
the tavern was advertised in q 1-cai
newspaper thus:
Samuel E. Warwick respectfully in
forms his friends and the public gener-
ally that he has opened a house Of E>-
tertainment at the northeast corner of
Seventh and Cedar streets and has copied
for his sign Mr.. Binn's beautiful copper
plate engraving of the Declaration OF In
dependence, by that justly celebrated az
fist Mr.. Woodside:
''Whate'er may tend to soothe the soul
below.
To dry the tear and blunt the Shaft of
woe,
To drown the ills that dlscompose the
mind,
All those who drink at Warwicks Inn
! shall find
/ On the Beehive tavern signboard in
! Philadelphia. there was the conventional
| picture of a beehive, the sentiment By
! Industry We Thrive" and these iocund
! lines: