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LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseApothecary's shop sign in form of moon, brass, c18 or c19
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Apothecary's shop sign in form of moon, brass, c18 or c19
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Apothecary's shop sign in form of moon, brass, c18 or c19
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Apothecary's shop sign in form of moon, brass, c18 or c19
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Apothecary's shop sign in form of moon, brass, c18 or c19
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Apothecary's shop sign in form of moon, brass, c18 or c19, European
Before the numbering of street buildings began to become commonplace towards the end of the 1700s, houses and commercial properties were usually known by their name or by the signs that hung over them. Businesses would often advertise that their products could be bought at, for example, ‘the sign of the dragon’ in a particular street.
This moon-shaped sign once hung outside an apothecary’s shop, somewhere in Europe. The moon was believed to influence human behaviour and represent cycles of life and death, which could explain why it was chosen.
Details
- Category:
- Pharmacy-ware
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A631332
- Materials:
- brass
- Measurements:
-
overall: 360 mm x 310 mm x 10 mm, 0.68 kg
- type:
- shop sign
