Item Details:

SUNFACE SIGN

MAKER UNKNOWN, BUT LIKELY FROM THE SUN INSURANCE COMPANY, ENGLAND

FOLK ART, circa 1880-1900

Moulded Metal with Polychrome

Size: 21.5 x 23.5 in; 54.6 x 59.7 cm

Desirable example of an late 19th or early 20th century Sunface Sign, likely from England's Sun Insurance Company, from a time when iconic symbols were designed and served to quickly communicate information, in this case to identify a client, worthy of fire fighting services.

This work is the fire mark of the Sun Insurance Co. They had their own fire insurance company, which employed a fire brigade and only dealt with fires insured by their company. Firemarks were fixed to each house or establishment with the company logo and reference, so that the fire brigade knew whether it was their responsibility to put the fire out, in the days before a municipal fire service was formed, this meant if you did not have a fire mark your structure may be left to burn!

Fortunately as areas became more urbanised, and the risk of uninsured properties setting fire to insured properties became more frequent, the formation of a municipal fire service began and all homes regardless of fire mark status were entitled to be

Provenance: Private collection, New York City from whom the current owner obtained the work