John Donnelly & Sons (1850-1978)

John Donnelly & Sons was founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1850 by bill poster John Donnelly and became one of the most prominent outdoor advertising companies on the east coast. The company created many of the Boston area’s most iconic signs, including the Shell Oil Company and Gillette Company signs.

John Donnelly’s first clients included clipper ship operators advertising for passengers looking to participate in the Gold Rush in California, and P. T. Barnum, who was then promoting the famous opera singer Jenny Lind’s first American performances. In the 1870s, business expanded to theater owners, burlesque houses, and circuses. John Donnelly died in 1878. His widow Mary Ann Donnelly managed the business until 1882, when their son Edward Calvin Donnelly turned 21 and assumed leadership. In 1891, Edward C. Donnelly helped found the Associated Bill Posters Association to increase industry standardization. In the 1890s, the firm began to expand out of Boston into neighboring towns.

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