Taverns were the physical and emotional centers of American community life through at least the middle of the nineteenth century. In addition to their function as much-needed rest stops during a period when travel was arduous, they served as meeting places for social, political, military, religious, and secular activities. Coffeehouses, an alternative to taverns that served distilled liquor, developed as gathering places in England after coffee, tea, and chocolate had been introduced in the late-seventeenth century. Imitated in America by the late eighteenth century, they frequently offered current newspapers, magazines, and pamphlets in addition to beverages. Coffeehouses became especially popular with the advent of the temperance movement during the late 1820s, when many taverns stopped serving distilled liquor and relied on room and board for their income.

E. Fitts Jr. has not been identified, but his double-sided painted trade sign promotes his coffeehouse on one side and his store on the other. In addition to a large stock of hats, fabric reams, and dry goods, the store may have offered some food or drink, as there are barrels stacked on one side and the shelves hold a variety of pottery vessels. The oval sign is held within a wrought-iron frame decorated with C-scrolls and was attached to a building exterior by the means of two hanging uprights. This type of sign became popular during the federal period, replacing the earlier flat signboard that had a shaped pediment and was held between two turned shafts.

Stacy C. Hollander, "E. Fitts Jr. Store and Coffeehouse Trade Sign," in American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 321-22.