original single-sided exterior saloon beer advertising sign. hand-painted polychrome enameled finish on tin. distressed surface patina consistent with age. the unique pre-prohibition sign dates to 1905-1910. artist unknown. on january 16, 1920, the eighteenth amendment went into effect and the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol within the us became illegal. although the amendment was repealed thirteen years later (april 7, 1933), prohibition brought an abrupt halt to a vast industry that involved hundreds of thousands of individuals. in the years leading up to prohibition (the pre-prohibition or pre-pro era), saloons were to be found on every street corner, liquor houses were as common as drug stores, and mail carriers delivered cases of whiskey in plain brown wrappers to homes across the us. supporters of prohibition systematically destroyed anything connected with the liquor industry when the amendment went into effect, while families of the dealers and saloon owners often smashed bottles and burned any papers out of shame or fear of retribution. thus, even though the industry was massive, surprisingly little evidence of its players or business activities has survived to modern times. the sign measures 47 1/2 x 14 inches.