Early Bp Motor Spirit Double-Sided Enamel Sign
Stock No
2325
2016
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Item Description
British Petroleum (B.P.) is a name that is synonymous with early automotive history. They were a supplier of petrol, or as it was more endearingly termed at the time, 'Motor Spirit' and despite the implications of the name - B.P. was actually a marketing arm of the German 'Europäische Petroleum Union' in Britain. When most people think about early BP Motor Spirit enamel advertising, they'll probably picture the iconic Union Jack signs or the slightly more unusual 'Irish Flash' pieces... But this example pre-dates both of those and is a real rarity. The above sign is likely to date to the late teens - very early twenties and was produced by the Bruton enamelers of Palmers Green, North London. This earlier design of signage can be found in this red and white colour way or in a blue and white one.
This double-sided example would have originally had a flange along the left edge to allow it to stick out from a wall at a 90 degree angle ... This has been lost / removed at some point in the past and holes have been made down one side and along the bottom edge.
The sign has retained a fantastic surface gloss (see angled photos for a good representation of this) and the red remains vibrant. There are a few surface scratches and a couple of patches of enamel loss, but for an early piece the condition is very good excepting the absence of the flange.
The sign measures 60cm wide x 38cm high
Item Info
Seller
Seller Location
London, London
Item Dimensions
H: 38cm W: 60cm D: 0.2cm
Period
1910s/'20s
Item Location
United Kingdom
Seller Location
London, London
Item Location
United Kingdom
Seller Contact No
+44 (0)7703104788
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