W. A. Snow Iron Works Incorporated. Manufacturers Of Copper Weather Vanes, Tower Ornaments,Finials, Crosses, Etc., For Churches, Public And Private Buildings. Gildedwith Pure Gold Leaf. 24 1/2" X 35" Black And White Single Sheet Poster Displaying Twenty-Nine Different Weather Vanes.

W.A. Snow Iron Works Incorporated, Boston, Massachusetts

Publication: Privately printed poster nd (ca 1885), NP

In 1883, W. A. Snow Iron Works, Inc., purchased the molds of J. Harris & Sons, a Boston weathervane manufacturer that operated from 1868 to 1882. Harris & Company was the first weathervane manufacturing company to design a durable iron mold, which was adopted extensively throughout the industry, making mass-production of weathervanes possible. This poster offers eleven vanes of horses, four of roosters, two of cows, one of a Merino Ram, one of a steam fire engine, one of an automobile complete with a driver, and nine of such items as banners, arrows, a Grecian scroll, a copper ball, and church or scroll vanes. The horses were patterned after famous horses of the day, such as Nancy Hanks, Black Hawk, Ethan Allen, Hambletonian, Mountain Boy, and others. Beneath each vane is the inventory number, description, dimensions given in inches and feet, and the price. Each weathervane was boxed at no charge and a free compass was given away with each vane. W. A. Snow also were manufacturers of improved iron stable fittings and cow fittings of every description. Some well known copper weather vane makers in early American history, in addition to Harris & Company, were L. W. Cushing, J. W. Fiske, A. L. Jewell & Company, and E. G. Washburne & Company. Dozens of weathervane designs were mass-produced by these companies in the 19th century, all of whom became famous in their time. While antique weathervanes are still in existence and still sold on venues such as online auctions, auction house sales, etc., many are handled through special auction sales and can fetch extremely high prices. This poster is unique and uncommon, it has been folded and shows some moderate wear at some of the folds, there are also small closed tears to top edge and side edge, else very good copy fully opened and mounted on a composite board with transparent plastic overwrap protection. A one-of-a-kind item and suitable for framing.