These Posters Must Have Been "Tougher Than a Pig's Snout" to Last This Long

You're gonna think this one looks easy. After all, I look pretty comfortable on this scaffold, don't I?

The truth is that installing these great big metal signs in a stairwell wasn't an easy job... but it sure was fun!

Most of the time when we go to visit peoples' houses and see their collections, they've got a lot of variety. For example, this couple who was moving to Asheville had everything from African textiles to American folk sculpture.

​But today's client had one true love: vintage signs.

Actually it would be more accurate to say that he collected all things related to vintage workwear, from the old advertising signs to the workwear itself. Sure, he had a few other odd signs laying around, but his true love was the workwear. I wish we could show you everything in his collection... he had an attic room that was absolutely full of this stuff. It was like a trip to a museum.

In fact, that's where I got the inspiration for the headline on this post. One of the posters in the attic had "tougher than a pig's snout" as the slogan. I got a good chuckle out of that, which I suppose was the point.

I also really loved this big poster advertising overalls for train engineers. Look how wide they are.

(And here's a bonus picture of a sign he had hanging in his office. We didn't hang it, but he offered to let me snap a photo because I liked it so much.)

I learned a lot about the history of the workwear and the signs. Did you know that Oshkosh B'Gosh had a mascot named Oshkosh B'Josh? This is him, pointing the way up the stairs. He looks like Uncle Sam, doesn't he?

And notice the little "Union Made" caption.

I'm really glad for the homeowner's sake that he called us in to do this, because these signs were huge and sort of awkward. I suppose they had to be big... they were made to hang up high on a wall in a crowded General store.

We actually still have one of those old-timey General stores operating in our small town of Marshall, NC. It's called Penland & Son's Department Store, although it's operated by the daughters in this generation, and they still sell workwear a lot like this. They don't have as many signs nowadays, but here's a couple of pictures which I borrowed from internet, so you can imagine the kind of environment these old posters might have hung in.

You can just picture them up on those walls above the shelves, can't you?

Whether you've got a focused vision for your art collection, or a comfortable hodge-podge of things you've picked up over the years, we can hang it up and help you feel at home.

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