Grasshopper Shop Sign, from 1791, Folk of Gloucester                     http://flic.kr/p/2sxWddV Familiar to generations of Gloucester people, the grasshopper stood above J. G. Vicker & Co's arocery shop on Westgate Street for many vears. The firm began life in Northgate Street in 1791, later opening a second branch in Westaate Street. The grasshopper stood outside Vicker's from 1791 until it ceased trading in 1956, though it probably wasn't the same one for all those vears! This grasshopper is thought to have been made by John Levison at the end of the 19th century. He and his brother had a business carving shop signs and ships' figureheads in Gloucester. A grasshopper was a traditional shop sign for tea dealers and so appropriate for a fine grocer's too. [Text from museum label]

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