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New England Neon
April 12-September 16, 2003
The sizzle of electricity, the clack of flashing lights, and colors that "outshine the sunshine"-- "New England Neon" was on view at the National Heritage Museum, April 12 through September 16, 2003. Born of a marriage between advertising and science, neon signs have long enlivened New England streets. "New England Neon," featured over twenty neon signs from the 1920s through the 1970s--some as long as 18 feet and as high as 12 feet--as well as materials related to how the signs were made and sold. The exhibition introduced visitors to the colorful history of neon signs, from the heady days of their first introduction to Boston byways to the boom times of the late 1940s and 1950s, when businessmen across the region advertised with bright and distinctive beacons of commerce.
"New England Neon" was drawn from the local collection of Dave and Lynn Waller. The signs on view represented more than 30 years of collecting. Digging in dumpsters, dangerous crane work, and scrounging for scraps were some of the ways the Wallers collected the pieces on display. Driven by an abiding interest in antique neon, the Wallers devoted time and energy to gathering and preserving huge metal and glass signs that many might shy away from. "Sometimes trash is treasure," said Dave Waller, "and I have actually pulled a number of signs right out of the dump. But these are important relics of a bygone age, and I think worth preserving. It often happens when someone sees our collection, an old sign invokes a memory that was long forgotten. They have magic."
Local visitors to the Museum were able to see the brilliant colors and animated rocket ship of the "Flying Yankee Restaurant" sign that drew patrons to the restaurant of the same name in Auburn, Massachusetts, for more than 40 years. This creation, made in 1953 by Anthony Hmura of Worcester's Leader Signs, added sparkle to the Museum's exterior during the run of the show. Other memorable signs on view included a version of Howard Johnson's neon Simple Simon and the Pieman that served as a "Landmark for Hungry Americans," and the sign from the North End's long-established European Restaurant. This sign not only drew diners to this popular pizzeria, but also gave passers-by the time of day.
"New England Neon" traced the roots of neon's invention, noting that it was first used as an advertising medium at a Parisian auto show in 1910. A California car dealer brought the first neon sign to the United States in 1923, ordering a red and blue "Packard" sign for his Los Angeles showroom from the French inventor Georges Claude. The sign not only stopped traffic, but also marked the beginning of a landscape-changing trend.
Since the 1890s, American companies have erected large electric signs, many with moving parts and flashing elements, to advertise their products in heavily trafficked areas. At the dawn of the twentieth century, smaller businesses used reflective signs surrounded by light bulbs to draw customers to their stores. Incandescent bulbs, however, burned hot, were expensive to keep lit, and--by the time neon came on the scene--were no longer novel. After their introduction in the mid-1920s, neon signs--inexpensive to operate, colorful and flexible--trumped previous forms of electric signs.
Sign manufacturer C. I . Brink & Co. of Boston introduced neon to New England. In 1925 the John Ward Shoe Store boasted Boston's first neon sign. Many retailers soon followed this lead. A short three years later, there were over 200 neon signs in the city. In 1926, the vehicle manufacturer Willys-Overland erected an enormous 48-by-80-foot neon sign on Commonwealth Avenue. Neon promoters claimed it could be seen for more than a mile. By the middle of the next decade, neon signs punctuated streets in all of New England's large cities and bustling towns.
Neon manufacturing and sales continued through the 1930s, even in the dreary Depression economy. World War II, however, dealt a blow to the industry. Government restrictions on the use of electricity, copper and steel led some neon firms to close. Many signs went without maintenance and fell out of repair. With the end of the war in 1945, the sign industry predicted a boom in business. While the nation's economy grew, the number of neon signs in the landscape increased. Not only did new downtown businesses order updated neon signs or repair existing ones, newly built businesses opening in the suburbs needed compelling sign advertising to attract customers. Examples of this kind of free-standing neon signs on display included the Siesta Motel and the Pine Crest Motel of Saugus, Massachusetts, both made in the 1950s.
By the mid-1960s, some Americans suffered from a neon hangover. In hopes to tidy up a landscape that many found cluttered and commercial, the 1964 Highway Beautification Act and other sign-related regulations discouraged new installations of large electric signs. As well, many business owners found that internally lit plastic signs were cheaper to produce and maintain than neon. The energy crisis of the early seventies also struck neon signs. Many businesses--such as the owners of Boston's Citgo sign--turned off their outdoor advertising to save electricity.
In spite of an on-and-off history and the vicissitudes of fashion, neon signs still have the ability to captivate. Through the efforts of collectors, preservationists, and business owners, large neon signs--like the Citgo sign or Cambridge's Shell sign--have been saved and continue to light up the landscape.
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