I'm a retired journeyman sign painter. I learned from a master. We did everything freehand, as did other (real) sign painters of the era. We laughed at what we called "home grown" signs (done by the proprietors).

We had no templates nor any stencils, nor did we need them. We used leaded paints to lend to the vibrancy and durability of the signs. The best sign painters' brushes and quills were made of squirrel tail hairs.

Not much call for us these days.

Any of the ladies on the right bring to my mind, I think her name was Esther, Fred Sanford's sister-in-law. Mannerisms and the way they carry themselves.

The folks on the right are a bit camera shy while the man on the left with two boys seems to have just cracked a nervous joke to the grandma sitting apart. Check the grimace on her face the seemingly sudden turn of her away from the man and the boy closest is givin' the bug-eye. The man also seems to be cringing slightly at his mishap.

This is a good example of the sign painter's art. I wonder if the Coca-Cola company furnished a template to sign painters to be used on brick walls.

The telephone number for the drugstore--24--reminds me of Jack Benny's response when asked for his Social Security number: 1