very rare and well-executed american 19th century museum-quality wrought copper exterior building or storefront druggists' mortar & pestle trade sign attributed to f. mclewee & son, new york city, ny. the amazingly intact gilded or hand-applied gold lead paint finish is mostly uniform, with an allover crazed finish consistent with age. the midsection contains an embossed ring accentuated by three oversized ruby red glass lenses or rondels that illuminated during the evening hours. the massive druggists' trade sign was likely hung against a building facade with a large pole mounted from the underside and a protruding bracket on the topside. the original hinged cap for interior access remains intact. the protruding pestle is in great shape, considering age. great overall form or profile. very rare find. measures 36 x 24 inches. the trade sign took many forms in early america. when education was a privilege and literacy rare, the ideal trade sign immediately caught the attention of a passerby and, because of its design, was totally self-explanatory. folk artists, sometimes including itinerant portrait painters, created signs that bore pictures that visually explained the name of the establishment or the services to be found within. these signs usually carried pictures or lettering on both sides and were hung from a tall post at right angles to the road, so as to be visible to travelers approaching from either direction. three-dimensional carved trade signs were often produced in the same workshops as figureheads and other ship decorations and usually displayed the same broad-planed carving style that typified american figureheads. the introduction of electric signs, which could advertise a business in the dark, led to the decline of the carved trade signs.