1880's - 1890's Burbanks Ice Cream and Soda Sign | ||
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Posted 9 years ago
Hausdezign
(1 item)
This double-sided sign was bought at an antique shop in New Hampshire where it had been for the past 30 years or so - would love to know where it came from originally. Gilt lettering with black sand painted background; measures about six feet long; bottom right corners are signed "F.C.B." Let me know if you have any information on where Burbanks was located - thanks!
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You may want to contact this guy. He has painted and sold "Burbank's Ice Cream and Soda" signs that look like antiques.
Sorry, forgot to post the link.
http://www.frederickgorilla.com/art-with-a-message
Thanks AzTom - yes, a couple months after I posted it on Pinterest I noticed the smaller copy or copies appearing that Brian did. I didn't realize how good of a graphic you could lift off those Pinterest images. He's not intentionally trying to mislead anyone with the copies of course, unlike much of the fake porcelain signs coming out of India, et. al. But like all reproductions/fantasy items, unless so indelibly marked as such, they tend to reappear in the marketplace many years down the road often being mistaken as the genuine article. I consulted for 15 years for a large auction house that specialized in antique advertising. The quality of some of the repros people brought in for consignment after having paid strong prices for them, was quite good. It was always a heartbreaker to give them the bad news. If you're collecting signs at the "top of the food chain", which is where Brian's pieces would rank if they were period examples, you'd better know your stuff - "caveat emptor".
So is it real, then?
Good, sounds like you know what to look for. Have you contacted Brian about the sign? He studies all of his projects quite well so maybe he could give you some info on the place this sign came from.
It's hard to see the sand paint in your photo. I have an original sand painted plow sign and it's quite reflective.
Hello Hausdezign, I have the answers you are looking for regarding this sign. Our family has another sign that appears to be exactly like the one you found in New Hampshire. It may have been sold or come out of the estate of my great grandfather, Eliot Winsor Burbank. It was a store operated in Sandwich, Massachusetts by my 2nd great grandfather, Frank Clifton Burbank. Currently there is a gourmet shop called the Brown Jug at 155 Main St in Sandwich which is in the same old building. You can see pictures of Frank standing under the sign hung on the building here: https://www.wikitree.com/photo.php/a/a3/Burbank-657-3.jpg I would be curious to hear more about how you came on the sign at it came to NH from my great grandfather.
Hi RBurbank -
It's awesome that you found this post after four years and were thoughtful enough to pass along your family's history on the sign. That's great detective work! We bought it back in the 1990's at an antique shop in central New Hampshire. The owner had it hanging there for a long time and every time my wife and I stopped in we would ask if they were ready to sell it yet. They finally did and we've been wondering ever since where it originally came from. We didn't realize it at the time but it is double-sided. Now the mystery is solved - case closed - Inspector Clouseau couldn't have done a better job!! Many, many thanks! Cheers, phelps@fullertonassociates.net