Early Bill Posting
Early bill posting began as early as the 1860s. Advertisers placed posters or painted signs around downtowns. The International Bill Poster's Association of North America formed in 1872. The first roadside advertising came in the form of "snipin" along country roads. Sniping involved placing small signs on fences or trees. Eventually, most local ordinances outlawed this practice in the 1890s. In 1900, billboards became standardized (sheets of 42 by 28 inches could be mounted on boards holding 3, 8, or 16 sheets). The posters on the billboard below are typical of the early, pre-automobile advertising. The signs are heavily worded with no logos or images.
19th Century Bill Posting: Image courtesy of John Jakle, Signs in America's Auto Age: Signature of Landscape and Place, 2004.
