Create Signs for Your Own Tudor Shops

Most people in Tudor England could not read. Signs posted above shops in a market town needed easily identify what their goods or services were. Retailers would hang signs with symbols painted onto them to illustrate what was sold there. For example, a butcher might hang a sign with a painted pig on it. Other signs, such as that above a metalsmith’s workshop, might be constructed of metal or wood in the shape of what is sold - a horseshoe, for example.

Look at the market town shop signs below and see if you can guess what each shop offers. Then, on a sheet of drawing paper, create some shop signs of your own. You can create signs for various Tudor market shops or shops that we have today. Be creative and share your ideas with us in the comments!

Images courtesy of learning-connections.net.