Lot 270: A HAND-PAINTED WEST AFRICAN BARBER SHOP COIFFURE SIGN ON SHEET METAL

This hand-painted vernacular commercial sign serves as a hairstyle menu, a traditional form of advertising for West African barber shops, frequently associated with Ghana or Nigeria. The sign is painted on a rectangular sheet of metal, likely tin or galvanized steel. The design consists of six male portraits rendered in profile against a light blue field. Each figure displays a different mid-20th-century hairstyle and wears a shirt with yellow and black patterns. Hand-painted black capital letters beneath each portrait identify the specific styles: UP-TO-DATE, KENEDEY, LEFT-PARTIN, ONBOARD., ALL-BACK, and SAHARA-BAY. A small hole at the top center contains a piece of twine used for hanging.

46 x 39cm