A Rare Tailor's Trade Sign

Jeffrey Tillou Antiques (Litchfield, Connecticut) is currently offering a fascinating trade sign that I was lucky enough to see in person at the Philadelphia Antiques Show this past weekend.*

Jeffrey Tillou Antiques. Sign measures h:32.25"/w:36.25"/d:3.25."

Unfortunately, I couldn't not determine where tailor "T. Claffy" originally operated (Ancestry.com results suggest the prevalence of the surname in Quebec, Ontario, Connecticut, and Massachusetts). However, this piece is a fantastic example of a mid-ninteenth-century tailor's trade sign, all the more unique because of its hinged window section. This feature allowed Claffy to entice customers by inserting the newest fashion plates, like the 1850 Ward Brothers example shown in place. As clothing styles changed, Claffy could display images prominently alongside his name and trade, adapting the traditional trade sign to an expanding world of printed media.

*I am not affiliated with Jeffrey Tillou Antiques and this post is neither an authentication nor an appraisal of value.