original and rare late 19th century single-sided storefront plate glass advertising sign for kean & kean, listed as morticians and embalmers, stillwater, mn. thhe reverse-painted glass sign contains two openings for small brackets and chain for mounting purposes. the exceptional gold leaf lettering accentuated with blue outline (i.e., shadowed lettering) remains largely intact, with sporadic crazing consistent with age. the late 1880's storefront embalming advertising sign originates from a building located in stillwater, minnesota. embalming is the art and science of temporarily preserving human remains to forestall decomposition and to make them suitable for public display at a funeral. the three goals of embalming are thus sanitation, presentation and preservation (or restoration) of a corpse to achieve this effect. in 1867, the german chemist august wilhelm von hofmann discovered formaldehyde, whose preservative properties were soon discovered and which became the foundation for modern methods of embalming, replacing previous methods based on alcohol and the use of arsenic salts. in the 19th and early 20th centuries arsenic was frequently used as an embalming fluid but has since been supplanted by other more effective and less toxic chemicals. modern embalming is most often performed to ensure a better presentation of the deceased for viewing by relatives, friends as, everything else being equal, an embalmed body will look better than one that is un-embalmed and putrefying. a successful viewing of the cadaver is considered by many credible authorities to be helpful in the grieving process. it allows the mourners to form a memory picture of the deceased. measures 47 x 10 inches. small break in upper left corner, chipping on edges consistent with age and not distracting from overall aesthetic.