Weathervanes are used as wind indicators and weather predictors and were of primary importance throughout the nineteenth century, when many occupations were itinerant or otherwise dependent upon outdoor conditions. Historically, they have represented some of the earliest and most significant sculptural forms produced in America. The first weathervanes were usually mounted on churches and other prominent structures within a community, and often had significance as religious symbols. Over time they also functioned as trade signs or ornamental sculptures, with major centers of production in Boston and New York.

This weathervane depicts the Greek goddess and allegorical figure of Fame. She is an ambivalent character whose wreath bestows fame or notoriety and whose trumpet spreads news far and wide. This beautiful example may have been the last weathervane of its type to be manufactured by E.G. Washburne & Company of New York, which was founded by Isaiah Washburn in 1853 at 708 Broadway. In 1907, the operation was moved to 207 Fulton Street, where the Fame Weathervane was installed until 1963.

Stacy C. Hollander, "Fame Weathervane," exhibition label for Folk Art Revealed. Stacy C. Hollander and Brooke Davis Anderson, curators. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2004.