If it's true that 'only the good die young', it would apply to the brevity of vintage porcelain signs. Seen first in Europe in 1880, the concept took hold in America a decade later and lasted until 1950, where it changed branding in advertising forever. Vibrantly detailed artwork hawked the innovations of the day in 3D dimensional venues that fired the imaginations and desires of all the eyes that avidly took in a commercial message that inspired a dream.
The inception of the art form began in Europe at the tail of the nineteenth century and made its mark in the States ten-years later via Enameled Iron Company of Pennsylvania. At a period in history ripe with innovation, progress was rampant with new advances in science, technology, inventions and industry. The entrepreneurial spirit fueled the competitive field of promotional advertising.
Porcelain-enamel is a product of powdered glass, melted in a firing process at 1,382 and 1,562 degree F heat. Once liquified, the glass flows directly onto iron, where it solidifies. The final product is a slick, impenetrable, indestructible composite. Recognized as resistant to scratches, chips and fire, enamel became an incomparable surface for household appliances.
Enamel advertising signage was an incorporation of powder glass melded to iron. The firing process renders enamel to translucency or opacity. Desired color is attained with the addition of specific minerals. Unlike the malleability of mixing paint colors, enamel cannot be pulverized to complicity, with tiny specks retaining enamels inherently indestructible nature. Crushing colors together into a flour-fine powder form allows optical illusions in perception of color.
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 its popularity, enameled signage 'shouted from the walls', fueling the fever of supply and demand. Promotional advertisements were attached to buildings, near transportation hubs and wherever people congregated. Product exposure created desire and the 'gotta have it' consumerism was born and the possibilities for economic growth felt limitless.
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.
The inception of the art form began in Europe at the tail of the nineteenth century and made its mark in the States ten-years later via Enameled Iron Company of Pennsylvania. At a period in history ripe with innovation, progress was rampant with new advances in science, technology, inventions and industry. The entrepreneurial spirit fueled the competitive field of promotional advertising.
Porcelain-enamel is a product of powdered glass, melted in a firing process at 1,382 and 1,562 degree F heat. Once liquified, the glass flows directly onto iron, where it solidifies. The final product is a slick, impenetrable, indestructible composite. Recognized as resistant to scratches, chips and fire, enamel became an incomparable surface for household appliances.
Enamel advertising signage was an incorporation of powder glass melded to iron. The firing process renders enamel to translucency or opacity. Desired color is attained with the addition of specific minerals. Unlike the malleability of mixing paint colors, enamel cannot be pulverized to complicity, with tiny specks retaining enamels inherently indestructible nature. Crushing colors together into a flour-fine powder form allows optical illusions in perception of color.
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 its popularity, enameled signage 'shouted from the walls', fueling the fever of supply and demand. Promotional advertisements were attached to buildings, near transportation hubs and wherever people congregated. Product exposure created desire and the 'gotta have it' consumerism was born and the possibilities for economic growth felt limitless.
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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