Bangert’s Flowers, on 86-08 117th Street in Richmond Hill just west of Myrtle Avenue, started out as Fluhr’s in 1894 and was sold to the Bangert family in 1927. It boasts what must be its original 1927 marquee, complete with no longer functioning neon letters, and an original, gorgeously rendered FTD sign complete with a winged-footed Mercury and FTD’s original slogan, “Flowers by wire…the Mercury Way!”
FTD (Florists’ Transworld Delivery) was founded in 1910 as Florists’ Telegraph Delivery in Detroit, Michigan and is currently based in Downers’ Grove, Illinois. The company symbol, adopted in 1914, is the Roman god Mercury, most associated with his role as the messenger of his fellow Olympian gods.
7/29/14
5 comments
What a classic sign.
Nice find Kev.
Now hold on a second.
Mercury is holding a cadecus or whatever its called,which is a medical symbol.
Seems to me it shoulda been a bouquet of flowers
The original Cadecus only had one snakeand one wing and was (one of) the symbol of Mercury and the medical profession.. In world war one the new army medical corp needed a symbol, and the designer thought it was unbalenced with one snake and wingso he added another!
FWIW
Yes your’re right,Chris,
Later FTD signs would have Mercury holding flowers instead of a cadecus.
How sharp-eyed and observant of you.
Caduceus. according to Wiki