Sign

Description

Wayside pulpit consisting of a 2"-by frame (2 sides / legs, top, and bottom) with a mitered face frame (39 1/2 x 50") that houses a pane of glass, a framed sign (Wayside Pulpit) fastened across the time, a removable panel with a paper sign thumb-tacked to it that fits into frame behind glass, and a hinged door that seals paper sign and panel from the weather outside. The top of the frame has 3 beveled wooden spacers that support an unfinished piece of Douglas fir with a slope to the rear. Over this a piece of sheet metal (zinc?) is cut, bent, and soldered to create a water-shedding roof. All exposed wood is painted black. A door, hinged at the top, is fitted to the frame on the rear. The door is fastened shut by means of two bolts through the bottom frame member. Holes for these bolts are drilled through the door bottom so that when closed the bolts protrude far enough from the door surface for nuts to be threaded onto them, securing the door. An unpainted white pine panel (edge-butted boards held together by 3-crosswise battens) with a piece of felt attached with copper tacks fits inside the frame opening between the glass and the door. This panel displays the paper sign behind the glass. The glass is cushioned on both front and back with chair seat tape and is held in place by 12 angle brackets of bent galvanized sheet metal secured to the sign frame by wire box nails. White paper sign behind glass reads: "God is Love" in red paint; below in green paint, "By this shall all men / know that ye are my / disciples - if ye have / love one to another".

Notes

Blog post on this object: https://www.shakermuseum.us/557-2/