Description:
Wooden shop sign, for "L. Smith" (Levi Smith of Granby, Massachusetts). Rectangular with scroll work at the top and bottom. Oval painting of a country scene, with a beehive, trees, and a brook. Both sides are identical. Held by iron braces.

Label Text:
This sign—painted with identical imagery on both sides—once hung in Granby, Massachusetts, at the tavern of Levi Smith. The imagery used in early signs is often representative of the services a business offered, making the message accessible to individuals who were not literate. In this case, the beehive may represent the honey used in mead, a popular alcoholic beverage.

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=MH+SK+2006.638.INV

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