Sandwich board

A sandwich board is a type of advertisement composed of two boards (holding a message or graphic) and being either:

• Carried by a person, with one board in front and one behind, creating a "sandwich
  Sandwich
  A sandwich is a food item, typically consisting of two or more slices of :bread with one or more fillings between them, or one slice of bread with a topping or toppings, commonly called an open sandwich. Sandwiches are a widely popular type of lunch food, typically taken to work or school, or...
  
  " effect; or
• Set up (for example next to a store advertising its goods) in a triangle shape, hinged along the top.

The carried version is usually attached to straps acting as suspenders

Suspenders

Suspenders or braces are fabric or leather straps worn over the shoulders to hold up trousers. Straps may be elasticated, either entirely or only at attachment ends and most straps are of woven cloth forming an X or Y shape at the back. Braces are typically attached to trousers with buttons...

, allowing the person wearing the boards to carry the weight on his or her shoulders and keeping the boards balanced on the wearer. Sandwich boards are most typically deployed in busy pedestrian areas and advertise businesses within easy walking distance. The wearer might also pass out flyers or shout advertising slogans. Sandwich boards were most popular in the 19th century, and have largely been supplanted by billboard

Billboard (advertising)

A billboard is a large outdoor advertising structure , typically found in high traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertisements to passing pedestrians and drivers...

s, which are more effective in advertising to passers-by who are now likely to be in automobile

Automobile

An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

s, rather than traveling by foot.

However, they are still frequently to be seen on major shopping streets such as Oxford Street

Oxford Street

Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...

, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

; Champs Élysées, Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

, and 42nd Street

42nd Street

42nd Street may refer to:*42nd Street *42nd Street **"Forty-Second Street", title song from the film*42nd Street -New York City Subway:...

, New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, where they are used to advertise offers from particular stores most often in adjacent side-streets.

External links

• Victorian Sandwich Board Men