Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
2020.FIC.045 |
Object Name |
Sign, Advertising |
Title |
R.C. Maxwell Company Stock Colors Sign |
Description |
A black rectangular-shaped frame with a light brown piece of cloth attached to it, displaying various colors used by R.C. Maxwell Company for its signs. At the top of the sign is a black inscription that reads, "R.C. Maxwell Co. Stock Colors. ORDER BY NUMBER." Below, the sign lists the color numbers, the colors themselves, and their names, including: 1. Zine White, 2. White Lead, 3. Primeing Color, 4. Coating Ochre, 5. Lemon Yellow, 6. B. D. Yellow, 7. Med. Yellow, 8. Old Gold, 9. Yellow Ochre, 10. Light Orange, 11. K. M. or Deep Chr. Yel., 12. Deep Orange, 13. Orange Mineral, 14. Vermillion Red, 15. Coca-Cola, 16. Deep or Maroon Red, 17. Venetian Red, 18. Tuscan Red, 19. Red Lake, 20. Border Blue, 21. Oasis or Light Blue, 22. Cobalt Blue, 23. Max. Spec. Blue, 24. Ultramarine Blue, 25. Prussian Blue, 26. Deep Purple, 27. Light Purple, 28. Lavender, 29. Light Pale Green, 30. Light Warm Green, and 31. Paris. The bottom half of the cloth is missing, obscuring the rest of the color list. The back of the cloth is featureless. According to Duke University Libraries, Robert Chester Maxwell founded R.C. Maxwell Company in 1894 in Trenton, New Jersey. Initially an outdoor advertising company, R.C. Maxwell produced signs along roadways in New York and New Jersey, as well as near tourist destinations in Atlantic City and Times Square. In 1919, they began producing electric advertising signs, leading to the opening of an electric sign manufacturing plant in Atlantic City. The company merged with the Trenton Poster Advertising Company in 1923 and created many signs along the Atlantic City Boardwalk. R.C. Maxwell Company was sold to Interstate Outdoor in 2000. Citations: R.C. Maxwell Company Records, 1891-2001 and Undated - Archives & Manuscripts at Duke University Libraries. David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. (n.d.). https://archives.lib.duke.edu/catalog/rcmaxwellco |
Year Range from |
1894 |
Year Range to |
2000 |
Material |
Wood, Metal, Cloth |
Artist |
R.C. Maxwell Company |
Height (in) |
37.000 |
Length (in) |
11.000 |
Width (in) |
2.250 |
Condition |
Poor |
Condition Notes |
Overall: The lower half of the cloth is missing. Rips, tears, screws poking out, and abrasions throughout. Front: The lower half of the cloth is completely missing. There are rips and tears all over the cloth. There are small black discolorations all over the cloth. A screw is poking through the cloth on top near the right side. There is a long green accretion on the cloth on the left side near the bottom. There are abrasions all over the wood. And finally, there are grey discolorations all over the wood. Back: The lower half of the cloth is missing. There are tears all over the cloth. There are abrasions all over the wood. There are screws poking through the wood near the top and bottom. And finally, there is a blue piece of tape attached to the screw on the bottom. |
Inscription Type |
Inscription |
Inscription Location |
Front, Top to Center, Left to Right |
Inscription Technique |
Stamped |
Inscription Text |
"R.C. Maxwell Co. Stock Colors." Line 1 "ORDER BY NUMBER" Line 2 "1 Zine White" Line 3 "2 White lead" Line 4 "3 Primeing Color" Line 5 "4 Coating Ochre" Line 6 "5 Lemon Yellow" Line 7 "6 B. D. Yellow" Line 8 "7 Med. Yellow" Line 9 "8 Old Gold" Line 10 "9 Yellow Ochre" Line 11 "10 Light Orange" Line 12 "11 K. M. or Deep Chr. Yel" Line 13 "12 Deep Orange" Line 14 "13 Orange Mineral" Line 15 "14 Vermillion Red" Line 16 "15 Coca-Cola" Line 17 "16 Deep or Maroon Red" Line 18 "17 Venetian Red" Line 19 "18 Tuscan Red" Line 20 "19 Red Lake" Line 21 "20 Border Blue" Line 22 "21 Oasis or Light Blue" Line 23 "22 Cobalt Blue" Line 24 "23 Max. Spec. Blue" Line 25 "24 Ultramarine Blue" Line 26 "25 Prussian Blue" Line 27 "26 Deep Purple" Line 28 "27 Light Purple" Line 29 "28 Lavender" Line 30 "29 Light Pale Green" Line 31 "30 Light Warm Green" Line 32 "31 Paris" Line 32 |
People |
Robert Chester Maxwell |
Classification |
Business & Commerce |
Subjects |
Wood Wood carving Paints & varnishes Painting Painters (Tradespeople) Paint industry |
Search Terms |
Robert Chester Maxwell Paint Colors Zine White White lead Primeing Color Coating Ochre Lemon Yellow B. D. Yellow Med. Yellow Old Gold Yellow Ochre Light Orange K. M. or Deep Chr. Yel Deep Orange Orange Mineral Vermillion Red Coca-Cola Deep or Maroon Red Venetian Red Tuscan Red Red Lake Border Blue Oasis or Light Blue Cobalt Blue Max. Spec. Blue Ultramarine Blue Prussian Blue Deep Purple Light Purple Lavender Light Pale Green Light Warm Green Paris 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 R.C. Maxwell Company Cloth Wood Metal Brown Black R.C. Maxwell Company Stock Colors Sign Advertising Sign 1894 2001 19th Century 20th Century 21st Century |
Provenance |
Found in collection |