With a relatively brief heyday from 1880 to flame out in 1950, the art of enamel signage blazed a trail not unlike the rarest meteor shower, drawing attention with its highly visible, breathtaking flash of brilliance to leave its avid admirers wishing for more. An advertising visionary, vintage porcelain signs were once pronounced 'shouts on walls.' Ingeniously ahead of its time, graphic, distinctively beautiful and uncommonly durable, enamel advertising signage was the glamorous big sister to today's comparatively, plain Jane billboard.
Europe, a mecca for art, initiated the birth of enameled signage at the end of the 19th century. A decade later the art form made its way to America, courtesy of Enameled Iron Company of PA. Progress was moving forward with an influx of scientific discoveries and growing technological advances fueling industry. Creative promotional advertising ignited sales and the limitless possibilities of free enterprise.
A hot commodity, porcelain-enamel is produced by melting powdered glass utilizing high heat in a process known as firing at 1,382 and 1,562 degrees F. The molten glass then flows onto the iron to solidify, producing a smooth, impervious, indestructible aggregate. With its properties as a fire-proof, scratch-resistant surface, enamel assumed the status of standard for home appliances.
The fusion that produces enameled signage results in a colorless or translucent product. Color is introduced through select minerals. The hard nature of enamel requires more than the ease of mixing used for creating variant color hues in liquid paint. Pulverization to the consistency of flour allows enamel to incorporate the colorization of minerals. Optical illusions trick color perception with processing.
The nature of porcelain inherently allowed enamel signage to withstand the elements and the test of time. Glass infused with color resisted degradation by sunlight. The process of laying one color on another gave the product strength to withstand the elements that might normally chip, scratch or damage a lifetime outdoors. Stenciling between layered colors gave the product depth.
At the height of an illustrious prime, porcelain signs spoke to the world with a silent boom. Mobility drove the populace from one's own small corner to open the doors of limitless imagination to the thrill of consumerism. Office buildings, road posts, railway stations and shops regaled the magic of innovation, as far as the eye could see, on vivid, detailed advertising signage.
As our mobile society picked up speed, the desire for social status fueled the dreams for faster vehicles and premiere petrol. Society longed for celebrity-endorsed cigarettes and beverages, branded in arresting detail on porcelain signage.
Argentina's notable advertising history included the use of enameled signage in the highly successful 1876 campaign that promoted their beverage, Hesperidina, concurrent with the inception of the Patents and Trademarks Registry. Cigarette brands, being the most commonly advertised products on signage, were heavily touted on enamel in Argentina, where Piccardo, founded in 1898, still stands as the oldest tobacco conglomerate.
Though vintage porcelain signs had a relatively brief lifespan, the influence exerted in the prominently displayed artwork was no flash in the pan. As technology progressed, neon became the shining star in advertising ventures. Many relics of porcelain signage were lost, forgotten in abandoned warehouses, or scrapped for metal during World War II. The survivors reside in the posterity of collectible history.
Europe, a mecca for art, initiated the birth of enameled signage at the end of the 19th century. A decade later the art form made its way to America, courtesy of Enameled Iron Company of PA. Progress was moving forward with an influx of scientific discoveries and growing technological advances fueling industry. Creative promotional advertising ignited sales and the limitless possibilities of free enterprise.
A hot commodity, porcelain-enamel is produced by melting powdered glass utilizing high heat in a process known as firing at 1,382 and 1,562 degrees F. The molten glass then flows onto the iron to solidify, producing a smooth, impervious, indestructible aggregate. With its properties as a fire-proof, scratch-resistant surface, enamel assumed the status of standard for home appliances.
The fusion that produces enameled signage results in a colorless or translucent product. Color is introduced through select minerals. The hard nature of enamel requires more than the ease of mixing used for creating variant color hues in liquid paint. Pulverization to the consistency of flour allows enamel to incorporate the colorization of minerals. Optical illusions trick color perception with processing.
The nature of porcelain inherently allowed enamel signage to withstand the elements and the test of time. Glass infused with color resisted degradation by sunlight. The process of laying one color on another gave the product strength to withstand the elements that might normally chip, scratch or damage a lifetime outdoors. Stenciling between layered colors gave the product depth.
At the height of an illustrious prime, porcelain signs spoke to the world with a silent boom. Mobility drove the populace from one's own small corner to open the doors of limitless imagination to the thrill of consumerism. Office buildings, road posts, railway stations and shops regaled the magic of innovation, as far as the eye could see, on vivid, detailed advertising signage.
As our mobile society picked up speed, the desire for social status fueled the dreams for faster vehicles and premiere petrol. Society longed for celebrity-endorsed cigarettes and beverages, branded in arresting detail on porcelain signage.
Argentina's notable advertising history included the use of enameled signage in the highly successful 1876 campaign that promoted their beverage, Hesperidina, concurrent with the inception of the Patents and Trademarks Registry. Cigarette brands, being the most commonly advertised products on signage, were heavily touted on enamel in Argentina, where Piccardo, founded in 1898, still stands as the oldest tobacco conglomerate.
Though vintage porcelain signs had a relatively brief lifespan, the influence exerted in the prominently displayed artwork was no flash in the pan. As technology progressed, neon became the shining star in advertising ventures. Many relics of porcelain signage were lost, forgotten in abandoned warehouses, or scrapped for metal during World War II. The survivors reside in the posterity of collectible history.
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