House names, shop signs and social organization in Western European cities, 1500–1900
Contenu
Titre
House names, shop signs and social organization in Western European cities, 1500–1900
Urban History
Résumé
The houses in early modern European cities almost all had names and signs. These are usually taken to be an early form of advertising, or else a way of finding one's way around the city in times before street names and numbering. This article argues that their primary purpose was to mark the individual, family or ethnic identity of the house owner or tenant. During the eighteenth century the names and signs changed in character, and by the mid-nineteenth century they had almost disappeared from city centres, primarily as a result of changes in individual and family identity among the urban middle classes, and of the transformation of neighbourhood communities under the pressure of urban economic and social integration. The evolution of house names and shop signs therefore illustrates the changing relationship between the city's residents and the urban environment.
Pages
20-48
Créateur
David Garrioch
volume
21
numéro
1
Date
1994/04
Langue
en
doi
10.1017/S0963926800010683
issn
1469-8706, 0963-9268