Sign for Blatchly's Inn
Original OwnerOriginally owned by
Moses Blatchly Jr.
(American, 1762 - 1826)
MakerMaker
Unknown
Date1788
MediumPaint on pine board, unidentified hardwood frame, iron hardware
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width including hardware): 39 x 27in. (99.1 x 68.6cm)
Other (height x width of sign only): 35 1/4 x 23 3/4in. (89.5 x 60.3cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineCollection of Morgan B. Brainard. Gift of Mrs. Morgan B. Brainard.
Object number1961.63.10
DescriptionImages: both sides have two layers of imagery: on side 1, an allegorical female figure of Justice, over a fully-rigged sailing vessel; on side 2, an American flag, over a standing figure of a sailor leaning on an anchor, framed by panels of drapery.
Construction: Single board, with single, molded, horizontal rails and turned posts. Board is set vertically and hand-sawn at top and bottom to create decorative pediment and skirt profiles. Board passes through full-width mortise cut through each rail and is held by nails. The rails are tenoned through the turned posts and secured at each joint by one pin. An original half-round applique is added at top of the pediment.
Surface: Early twentieth-century restoration included complete overpainting of the allegorical figure on side 1, using heavy, opaque, shiny paints on both figure and lettering. Repainting confused the sign by making simultaneously visible text from both eighteenth-century layers. Posts and rails were painted a bright turquoise blue, with a blue and red border added to the signboard.
Construction: Single board, with single, molded, horizontal rails and turned posts. Board is set vertically and hand-sawn at top and bottom to create decorative pediment and skirt profiles. Board passes through full-width mortise cut through each rail and is held by nails. The rails are tenoned through the turned posts and secured at each joint by one pin. An original half-round applique is added at top of the pediment.
Surface: Early twentieth-century restoration included complete overpainting of the allegorical figure on side 1, using heavy, opaque, shiny paints on both figure and lettering. Repainting confused the sign by making simultaneously visible text from both eighteenth-century layers. Posts and rails were painted a bright turquoise blue, with a blue and red border added to the signboard.
Collections
Label TextThe history of the Blatchly sign is difficult to reconstruct. It evidently displays two layers of 18th-century artwork, which were jumbled together in a 20th-century repainting by an unidentified restorer. The earliest painted surface indicates that this sign was made in 1788 and originally depicted a ship labeled “The Charming Patrones[s],” which is still visible under certain light and at certain angles. The later image depicts a female allegorical figure representing Justice holding a set of scales.
Status
On view
Captain Aaron Bissell Sr.
1772-1786
1827-1836