An American icon III

Can you see it? Can you figure it out? At one time they were everywhere, sometimes revolving, sometimes still, outside next to a door or a window. Okay, some creative license has been taken with the image, and the old barber poles are not so common today. But if Andy Warhol were alive today he might be massaging that soup can into different shapes, offering new perspectives.

This picture didn’t come easily. Not all barber poles are nice and neat. Some don’t have end caps. Some are too skinny, or too short. Many wear the stains of outdoor life. I finally found this one under a sheltering roof on the south side of a shop in Newtown. I obviously put it on a diet then added some points and angles to give it a modern, clean look.

© 2007 George J. Bancroft Sr.