Sign for Bement's Inn
Original OwnerOriginally owned by
Deodate Bement
(American, 1751 - 1836)
MakerMaker
Unknown
Dateabout 1786-1810
MediumPaint (traces remaining) on yellow or tulip poplar board, iron hardware
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width including hardware): 62 1/8 x 27 1/2in. (157.8 x 69.9cm)
Other (height x width of sign only): 55 7/8 x 27 1/2in. (141.9 x 69.9cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineCollection of Morgan B. Brainard. Gift of Mrs. Morgan B. Brainard
Object number1961.63.12
DescriptionImages: both sides display images of saddles on saddle blankets; the more elaborately ornamented saddle, on side 1, is a sidesaddle, with double horns to facilitate riding aside; no underlying images.
Construction: Single board with applied moldings; no structural frame. Board is oriented vertically and hand-sawn at top and bottom to create decorative pediment and skirt profiles. Applied moldings, mitered in corners, are nailed to front and back faces. Wood is Liriodendron tulipifera, yellow or tulip poplar, identified by analysis (Hoadley, March 2000).
Surface: Traces of original black paint survive on the lettering of one side; the Prussian blue visible on pediment and skirt may or may not be original.
Construction: Single board with applied moldings; no structural frame. Board is oriented vertically and hand-sawn at top and bottom to create decorative pediment and skirt profiles. Applied moldings, mitered in corners, are nailed to front and back faces. Wood is Liriodendron tulipifera, yellow or tulip poplar, identified by analysis (Hoadley, March 2000).
Surface: Traces of original black paint survive on the lettering of one side; the Prussian blue visible on pediment and skirt may or may not be original.
Collections
Label TextAccording to family history, Deodate Bement’s brother was a saddle maker, which may explain the images of saddles on this sign. The side on view shows a sidesaddle, generally used by women; the opposite side depicts a man’s saddle. The tulip poplar wood used for this signboard was apparently a poor choice, as it did not hold the paint as well as the more common pine signboards. The same process of weathering that wore away the paint, however, created in its place the low-relief surface that we see today.
NotesHistorical Note: Original location. Bement owned several properties in Wallingford; his tavern was probably located on his earliest acquistion, deeded 1780 and 1783: a one-acre house lot, near the church in the center of Wallingford, along the post road from Hartford to New Haven.Status
On view
Captain Aaron Bissell Sr.
1790-1820
1772-1786
