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)
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.
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.
Object number1961.63.10
InscribedText: both sides have multiple layers of text, which are quite difficult to disentangle: on side 1, the pediment has two dates, "1794" over [1788], and one name, "M. BLATCHLY"; the skirt has one legend, "ENTERTAINMENT / M.B."; the main part of the sign has two legends, "The Scale of Justis", which presumably refers to the upper image of the allegorical figure, and "The Charming PatroNnes", which presumably refers to the lower image of the sailing vessel. On side 2, the pediment has only one discernible date and name, "1794 / M. BLATCHLY"; the skirt has only one legend, "ENTERTAINMENT"; the main part of the sign has two legends, "The Cantine," which presumably corresponds to the upper image of the flag, and "Hope on the Anchor", which presumably refers to the lower image of the sailor.Collections
- Tavern and Inn Signs
On View
On view
Captain Aaron Bissell Sr.
1772-1786
1827-1836