![](https://i0.wp.com/www.fadingad.com/blog/guests/eric-washington-fair-square.jpg?resize=580%2C387)
© Eric K. Washington
Fair and Square Ribbon painted sign
This painted advertisement endures on the back of the former Joseph Loth & Company “Fair and Square” ribbon mill, built in 1886, on Amsterdam Avenue between West 150th and 151st Streets. The ad reads, “Fair and Square — This Label Is On The Best Ribbon Made.”“In upper Manhattan, a block-long structure hulks like a stalwart old public building. But a faded ad painted in back reveals its delicate mission more than a century ago…”