Star Brewing Co. Fine Ale Porcelain Corner Sign, Boston, MA. Ca. 1900

I like this particular generic “star” Brewing Company’s sign for its simplicity. The simple illumination look generic and that is a bit surprising since their were many Star Breweries in the pre-prohibition era. So what did the Star brand do to increase their awareness? They simply added a bold illumination look to their beer in order to get the brand into the consumers mindset. So by adding a bold red color, and offsetting it with a white star and bombastic loo could have done it. This particular star has incorporated the word Pale Ale and Boston into the verbiage, helping the consumer know which Star the beer was most likely from, while also ensuring there local beer drinkers in the state of Massachusetts.


The Star Brewing company in Boston was one of several Star breweries which also operated at this time in Illinois, Missouri, and Texas, etc. The sign is in great shape, has a nice porcelain sheen on it, and curves as it was produced still. This antique advertising sign was produced around 1900. The brewery was located at 69 Shirley Street near Norfolk Avenue in Roxbury. The brewery closed in 1918 as prohibition came nearer to reality, opened again after prohibition and had a run from 1933-1952 again in Roxbury before it closed forever.