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Painted Signs
in Fayette County
1938
by John
Troesser
Photos Courtesy La Grange Chamber of Commerce |
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Coca
Cola advertising car in front of Von Minden's Hatchery and Feed Store
Location unknown |
The
era of the hand-painted sign went out in the 1960s with the introduction
of plastic lighted signs. Today, when traveling through small towns
one will occasionally get a glimpse of the sign painter’s art on forgotten
brick walls. The men, known in the trade as “wall dogs,” traveled
the roads and back roads of Texas providing signs for businesses ranging
from grocery stores to cafes, pool halls, garages and sometimes water
towers.
An album of photographs taken in 1938 was recently donated to the
La Grange Chamber of Commerce. On display inside the former
Fayette County jail, the fifty or so photos show the Coca-Cola
“Advertising Car” which was actually a panel truck with an overhead
ladder rack. |
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Coca
Cola advertising car in front of Plum
Post Office |
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Siebel's
Cafe
Location unknown. |
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The
"Advertising Car' en route to another job |
The sign painter, whose identity is a mystery, chronicled
his work from Giddings
(Lee County) to La Grange,
Plum, Schulenburg,
and other towns that are unrecognizable and unidentified.
The painter was understandably proud of his work and he can even be
seen in several of the photos. |
| The
album offers a rare look at a time when towns were proud of their
capacity for beer (“Another load of beer for La Grange”) and a big
city store was savvy enough to include in their ad: "If your
home town merchant can not supply you Shop at Joske's San Antonio." |
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Pearl
Truck possibly in Giddings (Lee County)
"If your home town merchant can not supply you
Shop at Joske's San Antonio." |
| Several
drivers are visible with their rigs - which include Pearl Beer vehicles
and Coca-Cola trucks. ... continue |
The donor of
the album - or anyone wishing to identify the talented painter may
do so by contacting
us.
July 23,
2004
© John Troesser |
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