Hobo sign “A good woman lives here” hand drawn T-Shirt

Hobos tramped the rails and backroads of America from the chaos following the Civil War through the recovery from The Great Depression, looking for work.  They were a loose brotherhood with their own culture and code, including signs drawn with chalk or charcoal on fences, walls, and sidewalks to warn of danger or point to a welcoming home.  Like today's emojis, the hobos' signs imparted both information and emotion.  We have included 24 hobo signs in our collection. Hand-drawn in charcoal, they are an echo of marginalized voices, now all but lost.