Trade Sign - Apothecary

Periodca. 1850 - 1910

MediumMolded copper and metal pipe

Dimensions32 × 15.25 in. (81.3 × 38.7 cm)

ClassificationsAdvertising, Business & Ornamental Artifacts

Credit LineMuseum Collection

Object number1983.412

DescriptionA hanging apothecary trade sign in the shape of a mortar and pestle that was suspended by an iron pipe and painted green.
NotesMortars and pestles are implements used for millenia to prepare ingredients or substances by crushing and grinding them into a fine paste or powder. Archeologists have found prehistoric examples that date back to approximately 35,000 BCE. Mortars and pestles became especially important in the apothecary or pharmacy trades, hence the use of them as a street sign for those businesses. The Roman poet Juvenal applied both "mortarium" and "pistillum" to articles used in the preparation of drugs, reflecting the early use of the mortar and pestle as a symbol of a pharmacist or apothecary.

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