Description

(CHICAGO, RAILROAD) ROCK ISLAND SYSTEM
A reverse glass and mother-of-pearl inlaid sign created for the Rock Island System Railroad, Detroit Photographic Co., 1900, featuring a train with cows and a cowboy on horseback against a town along the foothills of Pikes Peak, which is shown in the background, eglomise border with gilt title Rock Island System, each car with different name on the side.

In the late 1800s, Andrea T. Gavell, a veteran train car maker for the Rock Island Railroad System, developed a technique for working on the glass faces of a number of clocks, which were later put into executive offices. Due to the rising demand for mother-of-pearl inlays, the company obtained bids on a commercial basis to produce 50 signs over a period of two years for $50.00 each. The signs were painted by hand using a black and white photo taken by the Detroit Photographic Co. and copyrighted in 1900.

The present sign, which once adorned the walls of company stations, is one of only a few known to exist today.
78 x 17 inches.