Early 20th Century Original Double Sided Porcelain Western Union Telegraph Sign

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Late 1909-1920s; Western Union - New York, NY

This original oval antique double-sided porcelain advertises Western Union Telegraph and Cable … Read more Late 1909-1920s; Western Union - New York, NY

This original oval antique double-sided porcelain advertises Western Union Telegraph and Cable Office with a graphic of a finger pointing to the side. It's not often signs like this are made available due to their age, subject matter, and availability. Western Union was initially named the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company, and was founded in 1851 in Rochester, New York. It quickly grew by merging with other telegraph companies, becoming the Western Union Telegraph Company in 1856. We know that porcelain signs started to gain popularity in the United States starting around the 1800s. We also know that AT&T acquired Western Union in 1909 but relinquished control in 1914, and that the rise of the telephone was happening around the 1920s, placing this sign in the first 20 years of the 1900s. See less