FRUIT JUICE

...or what happens when a Cider stand moves to Florida.

This was the photo that inspired me.  I've lost track of where I found it, and haven't seen it without watermarks:

And here is my version of the stand and most of the figures:

I did modify and paint figures for the man and two children on the left side leaning against the fence, but this is as far as I got to meet the requirements of the railroad-line.com forum challenge.  The figures are the primary reason I chose to model this little scene.  They offer so many elements that set the era, and they present diverse economic groups from the working class folks along the fence and behind the counter to the well-to-do folks out front and the tradesman bringing a tray of wares to be sold at the stand (at least that's my guess).

Though the painted-on sign in the original photo is hard to read, I think it read "ICE COLD CIDER".  Now I believe for a time in this country 'cider' was any fruit that was squeezed to make juice.  If any reader should have better information, please let me know as I enjoyed the research but didn't press the matter too far.  Regardless, by the 1920s, fresh squeezed juice was a treat to be enjoyed when available.  It was certainly the thing to have while wintering in Florida.

I decided to change the sign to read FRUIT JUICE as a way of better locating this little stand in central Florida.  Despite the industry crippling freezes of the late 1800s and early teens, the citrus industry still held on well into the 1920s.  Bananas were available at this stand, and I made mine from Milliput.  Other details are premade castings such as soda bottles in a crate or the little bottles in a crate on the counter. 

Perhaps the most curious detail was the little portrait picture adhered to the stand above the window on the left side just above the well-to-do couple and their child.  I guessed this might be an election poster, so I looked into election posters from the twenties and sure enough, many of them were just portraits with the candidate's name and maybe a slogan.  I chose a picture that I figured would work and I think it captures the look.

The little shed itself was built up board-by-board and the sign was painted freehand.  I'm pretty proud of that effort as I managed to paint a drop-shadow effect using orange beneath and yellow above.  Part of the fun was choosing colors.  My wife suggested gray for the main color and I'm glad she did.  I used a gray in the blue-tone family and I think it looks perfect.

This was a fun little project and I'm glad it is done.  Eventually I'd like to create the rest of the scene as there's so much there worth modeling from the melons on the bench to the giant shade trees to the farmhouse in the background and the wagon way beyond the stand.  Plus, I can exercise modeler's license to include elements of humor or added interest.  But now it is time to get back on the Station...and that will be the next post.