Tooth Trade Sign1850–188026 × 12 1/4 × 11 1/4"Paint on wood with metalGift of Kristina Barbara Johnson1983.8.10Oversized, wooden tooth, with large, round hook in top center of molar for use in hanging as a trade sign. Three root forms extend beyond basic structure of tooth.1531061304Artist unidentifiedArchitectureThe American Folk Art Museum believes this work to be in the public domain. http://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster28734United StatesTreasures of Folk Art: Museum of American Folk ArtThree Dimensional WorkseMuseum - Collection HighlightsOversized, wooden tooth, with large, round hook in top center of molar for use in hanging as a trade sign. Three root forms extend beyond basic structure of tooth.Trade SignTrade signs have descended from a lineage that can be traced back to ancient Greek and Roman cultures. What began as a necessity, when literacy was not widespread, became a tradition, and instantly recognizable iconic images continued to advertise businesses through the turn of the twentieth century. Some of the earliest signs, such as the free-standing tavern signs often stationed near the road, were flat and two-sided, but increasingly they were three-dimensional carvings hung off the facades of buildings to catch the eyes of passersby. These carved signs often were oversized versions of everyday objects immediately associated with the particular trades they advertised. Their size helped to draw attention, especially as towns became congested with competing businesses.
Many of the early signs established symbols that remain with us to the present time, such as the tooth that advertised the services of a dentist. Several examples of carved molars survive, and most date to the second half of the nineteenth century. Before that time, surgery, obstetrics, and dentistry were all often part of a country doctor's duties. Until dental surgery became a specialty, physicians pulled teeth as part of their regular practice.
Stacy C. Hollander, "Tooth 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), 335.The most successful early trade sign left little confusion as to its meaning, with or without the use of words. Symbols that were immediately recognizable relied upon a shared system of emblematic meaning, and this interaction between trade sign and viewer still lingers as a traditional method of advertising a business. Some of the earliest signs were flat and painted on both sides, but through the nineteenth century increasingly they were three-dimensional carvings hung off the facade of buildings to catch the eye of passersby. These carved signs were often oversize versions of everyday objects immediately associated with the trade they advertised. Their size helped to draw attention, especially as towns became congested with competing businesses. Many of the early signs established symbols that remain with us to the present time, such as the tooth that was used to advertise the services of a dentist.
Stacy C. Hollander, "Tooth Trade Sign," exhibition label for Folk Art Revealed. Stacey C. Hollander and Brooke Davis Anderson, curators. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2004.http://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster28734http://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster28734http://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster2873418501880 1983 8 1 Oversized, wooden tooth, with large, round hook in top center of molar for use in hanging as a trade sign. Three root forms extend beyond basic structure of tooth.Trade SignTrade signs have descended from a lineage that can be traced back to ancient Greek and Roman cultures. What began as a necessity, when literacy was not widespread, became a tradition, and instantly recognizable iconic images continued to advertise businesses through the turn of the twentieth century. Some of the earliest signs, such as the free-standing tavern signs often stationed near the road, were flat and two-sided, but increasingly they were three-dimensional carvings hung off the facades of buildings to catch the eyes of passersby. These carved signs often were oversized versions of everyday objects immediately associated with the particular trades they advertised. Their size helped to draw attention, especially as towns became congested with competing businesses.
Many of the early signs established symbols that remain with us to the present time, such as the tooth that advertised the services of a dentist. Several examples of carved molars survive, and most date to the second half of the nineteenth century. Before that time, surgery, obstetrics, and dentistry were all often part of a country doctor's duties. Until dental surgery became a specialty, physicians pulled teeth as part of their regular practice.
Stacy C. Hollander, "Tooth 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), 335.The most successful early trade sign left little confusion as to its meaning, with or without the use of words. Symbols that were immediately recognizable relied upon a shared system of emblematic meaning, and this interaction between trade sign and viewer still lingers as a traditional method of advertising a business. Some of the earliest signs were flat and painted on both sides, but through the nineteenth century increasingly they were three-dimensional carvings hung off the facade of buildings to catch the eye of passersby. These carved signs were often oversize versions of everyday objects immediately associated with the trade they advertised. Their size helped to draw attention, especially as towns became congested with competing businesses. Many of the early signs established symbols that remain with us to the present time, such as the tooth that was used to advertise the services of a dentist.
Stacy C. Hollander, "Tooth Trade Sign," exhibition label for Folk Art Revealed. Stacey C. Hollander and Brooke Davis Anderson, curators. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2004.