Sign for David Loomis's Inn
Original OwnerOriginally owned by
David Loomis
(American, 1774 - 1840)
Date1811
MediumPaint on pine, iron hardware
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width including hardware): 34 1/4 x 32 1/4in. (87 x 81.9cm)
Other (height x width of sign only): 25 1/2 x 32 1/2in. (64.8 x 82.6cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number1958.10.1
DescriptionImages: on both sides, a decanter and four wine glasses, silhouetted against white background; no underlying images
Text: on side 1, above image: "D, LOOMiS."; below the image: "iNN 1811". Identical on side 2, except that a period replaces the comma after the initial "D."; no underlying text
Construction: Two boards, oriented horizontally and encased in moldings. Moldings are mitered at corners and secured around edges of the boards. Iron support straps are recessed flush with the image plane and painted over.
Text: on side 1, above image: "D, LOOMiS."; below the image: "iNN 1811". Identical on side 2, except that a period replaces the comma after the initial "D."; no underlying text
Construction: Two boards, oriented horizontally and encased in moldings. Moldings are mitered at corners and secured around edges of the boards. Iron support straps are recessed flush with the image plane and painted over.
Collections
Label TextEarly inns and taverns served food and drink to both travelers and locals, and functioned as social centers for many communities. An 1819 “Public Ball” ticket from David Loomis’s establishment also survives in the Connecticut Historical Society's collection. The decanter and wine glasses depicted here would probably have appealed to many passers-by, especially before the rise of the 19th-century Temperance movement, which peaked in the 1840s.
NotesHistorical Note: The original location of the sign was along the East Haddam-Colchester turnpike in Westchester, a village approximately 4 miles west of Colchester center. The house remains extant, but was moved to Old Lyme in recent years and extensively remodeled.Status
On view
about 1823
