Following his honorable discharge in 1945 from the armed services after World War II, Francis Twehous opned a garage and welding shop with his brother Virgil in their hometown of Scribner, Nebraska. After a visit from a traveling salesman, they decided to order about two-dozen personalized signs as promotional giveaways for their valued customers instead of the usual calendars at holiday season. The colonial revival scene of a graceful woman in elaborate dress carrying a parasol and seemingly communicating with a elegant peacock is an unusual choice of imagery to associate with their buisness.

Lee Kogan, "Twehous Bros. Advertising Sign," FOILED: Tinsel Painting in America (New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2013), 77