1958.10.1 Photograph by Williamstown Art Conservation Center © 2009 The Connecticut Historica ...

Images(2)

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.

Collections

Tavern and Inn Signs

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