A very rare and full of character 1930s six-foot-tall Ghirardelli Chocolate hand-painted wood advertising sign featuring the company's early and iconic parrot mascot.
Fantastically vibrant and eye-catching outdoor billboard advertising products by the world famous 170-year-old San Francisco chocolatier, after which the city’s historic waterfront landmark Ghirardelli Square is named. Commanding and colorful graphic design distinguished by crisp, bold lettering and an incredibly charismatic parrot excitedly squawking the proper pronunciation of “Ghirardelli”. The parrot mascot was introduced in 1915 as part of a successful ad campaign that saw sales rise as customers felt more comfortable in asking for their chocolates and other products by name.
In the parrot’s shopping cart are three cans of Ghirardelli products—Nu-Malt, Ground Chocolate, and Milk Cocoa—each being great examples of mid-century American packaging design. Displays a wonderful sense of depth and economical attention to detail. Exactingly executed and varied typefaces handsomely embody exactly what makes vintage advertising signage so visually striking and sought after. Reminiscent of Guinness beer posters featuring a toucan from the same era, done at a scale that would make an equally great artistic impression in a residential or commercial interior, restaurant, or bar.
Skillfully executed in a combination of hand-painted and silkscreened techniques on plywood by San Francisco sign painting company Universal, with their signature in the bottom border alongside the mark of venerable Bay Area sign & display union Local 510. A curious hand-painted hobo mark-like symbol appears in the bottom left corner. Sign was originally two-sided, with a ghost image of the advertising on the other side still visible under a layer of ping-pong table-green paint.
H 72 in. x W 48 in. x D .25 in. Great condition for its type, use, and age; much better than its few comparable examples. Varied amounts of paint crazing. Wear/chips to edges and some marks to art. Light moisture stain along bottom. Various mounting holes.