hard to find hand-crafted early 20th century american exterior double-sided hanging bakery storefront braided pretzel trade sign comprised of carved wood with largely intact old gilded finish. the nicely weathered original wrought iron eye hook remains intact. the trade sign contains age old cracks stabilized early on with strips of old tin found primarily along the outer edges. the artist or fabricator is not known. likely dates from 1905-20. in the 19th century, southern german and swiss german immigrants introduced the pretzel to north america. the immigrants became known as the pennsylvania dutch, and in time, many handmade pretzel bakeries populated the central pennsylvania countryside, and the pretzel's popularity spread. in the 20th century, soft pretzels became extremely popular in other regions of the united states. cities like philadelphia, chicago, and new york became renowned for their soft pretzels. the key to success was the introduction of the new mass production methods of the industrialized age, which increased the availability and quantity, and the opening up of multiple points of distribution at schools, convenience and grocery stores, and entertainment venues such as movie theaters, arenas, concert halls, and sport stadiums. prior to that, street vendors used to sell pretzels on street corners in wooden glass-enclosed cases. pennsylvania today is the center of american pretzel production for both the hard crispy and the soft bread types of pretzels. southeastern pennsylvania, with its large population of german background, is considered the birthplace of the american pretzel industry, and many pretzel bakers are still located in the area. measures 19 x 12 inches.