E. Fitts Jr. Store and Coffeehouse Trade Sign183247 × 46 1/2 × 1 1/2" (with ironwork)Paint on wood with wrought ironGift of Margery and Harry Kahn1981.12.901532001561Artist unidentifiedArchitectureThe American Folk Art Museum believes this work to be in the public domain. http://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster28734Vicinity of ShelburneVicinity of ShelburneUnited StatesMassachusettsTreasures of Folk Art: Museum of American Folk ArtThree Dimensional WorkseMuseum - Collection HighlightsVicinity of Shelburne
Coffee, tea, and chocolate were introduced into England by the late seventeenth century, and coffeehouses quickly became centers of social and business interaction for travelers and locals. By the eighteenth century, these establishments were imitated in America, where they offered current newspapers, magazines, and pamphlets and served as meeting places for social, political, military, religious, and secular activities. E. Fitts Jr. has not been identified, but his painted trade sign illustrates the close relationship between the coffeehouse milieu and commercial activities. One side names his coffeehouse, whereas the other depicts his store with a range of "staple and fancy goods." In addition to a large stock of hats, reams of fabric, and dry goods, the store may have offered some food or drink, as there are barrels stacked on one side and the shelves have a variety of pottery vessels.
Stacy C. Hollander, "E. Fitts Jr. Store and Coffeehouse Trade Sign," exhibition copy for American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection. Stacy C. Hollander, curator. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2020.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.orgTaverns 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.Trade signhttp://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/termMaster2873418321832 1981 12 9
Coffee, tea, and chocolate were introduced into England by the late seventeenth century, and coffeehouses quickly became centers of social and business interaction for travelers and locals. By the eighteenth century, these establishments were imitated in America, where they offered current newspapers, magazines, and pamphlets and served as meeting places for social, political, military, religious, and secular activities. E. Fitts Jr. has not been identified, but his painted trade sign illustrates the close relationship between the coffeehouse milieu and commercial activities. One side names his coffeehouse, whereas the other depicts his store with a range of "staple and fancy goods." In addition to a large stock of hats, reams of fabric, and dry goods, the store may have offered some food or drink, as there are barrels stacked on one side and the shelves have a variety of pottery vessels.
Stacy C. Hollander, "E. Fitts Jr. Store and Coffeehouse Trade Sign," exhibition copy for American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection. Stacy C. Hollander, curator. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2020.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.orgTaverns 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.Trade sign