Chicago, IL
The Chas W. Shonk Co. Sign Manufacturer was established in 1891 located in Chicago, IL originally under the name of Shonk Tin Printing Company; eventually changing names a few years later. The Chas W. Shonk Company was most well known for producing very detailed lithograph signs and trays for various industries and companies. Some of the very early tin Winchester, Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola, Moxie, and Dr. Pepper tin litho advertising signs and trays were produced by Shonk Co.
A lot of the trays and “charger” style signs produced had detailed lithographed images of women on them portrayed with the products the company was trying to advertise. Among these companies were the brewing industry of breweries across the country. Breweries took a liking to what Chas Shonk Company was producing and contracted them to create beer trays, tip trays, Venetian plates, calendar lithographs, thin tin signs with gold / copper / silver sparkles, tin-over-cardboard (TOC) signs, brass signs, and charger signs to advertise both the brewery as well as their products.
The Chas W. Shonk Co. made various signs and trays for breweries like Deppen, Barbey’s Inc., Roehrich and Raab, Lauer, Reading, Sprenger, Yuengling, Flock, Lebanon, Stegmaier, Elk Run, Punxsutawney, Home, Bartels, Hazle, Columbus, Independent, Iroquois, Schlitz, Pabst, Flower City, Sterling, Hudson Consumer, Columbia, Wields, Ryan’s Consumer, Peter Barmann, Bartholomew, Rainier, Lemp, Seattle, Monroe, Virginia, Kessler, Blatz, Schlitz, Miller, Anheuser-Busch, Becks, Blatz, Park, Olympia, Pickwick, Strohs, Peter Doelger, Pickwick, Falstaff, and Narragansett just to name a few.
In 1901, American Can Company located in Manhattan, NY acquired the Chas W. Shonk Company and renamed it the Shonk Work in 1906 and operated the company till it closed in 1973.
Below are a few examples of Chas Shonk Company signs and trays:
