The Piece

“No Spitting” Public Health Warning Sign
United States, 1987

A boldly lettered blue-and-white metal sign issued as a public health warning, reproducing early 20th-century transit signage language. Manufactured by Ande Rooney Inc. in 1987, this piece intentionally mirrors the strict typography and uncompromising tone of historic station and platform notices.

The result is graphic, authoritarian, and oddly funny. Nothing decorative about the message. Everything decorative about the execution.

Historical Context

During the late 20th century, Ande Rooney Inc. became known for producing historically accurate reproductions of American signage, ephemera, and folk objects. Their work often referenced earlier public health and municipal warnings, originally used to combat tuberculosis and other communicable diseases in crowded urban spaces.

This sign recreates the language and formatting of early transit authority notices, when civic order was enforced with blunt typography and legal consequences rather than suggestion.

Product Details

Condition & Notes

The sign presents in strong, clean condition with light surface wear consistent with age. Minor scuffs and small marks visible on the reverse. Lettering remains crisp and legible. No bends, cracks, or structural damage observed.

This piece reads as display-ready.

Why It Belongs in Your Home

This sign is pure tone. It brings humor, authority, and historical bite into a space without trying to be clever. Perfect for kitchens, powder rooms, bars, studios, or anywhere that appreciates irony delivered in all caps.

It works especially well layered into darker interiors, industrial spaces, or curated walls where graphic contrast matters more than sentiment.

You don’t hang this because you agree with it.
You hang it because it refuses to soften itself.

From Viridian Eclection

We collect objects that speak plainly and age honestly. This sign isn’t precious. It’s direct, well-made, and culturally loaded in exactly the way we like—functional design turned accidental art.