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Men at Work signs found in Madeira


Porto Santo, xi.2002;
pict. Baeten & De Dier

xi.2002
pict. Baeten & De Dier

ii.1993;
pict. G. Coghe

The most striking feature of men at work signs in Madeira is the presence of a small third (parasitic ?) heap at the foot of the heap being dug away. It's not present on our samples from Portugal or the Azores and I haven't seen it in any other country. The drawing in general also shows more detail than the mainland's kind.
The heap has a very irregular shape probably only possible when the sand is wet. All workers very wisely wear headgear to protect the head. A hard hat would be more appropriate though (safe examples in Belgium and Denmark). Notice how most colleagues from Portugal and the Azores work bare headed.


vii.2002; pict. L. Scheerlynck

Not all finds are a nice piece of work. The shovel here is so badly drawn that even the heap seems to back off. Madeira in this case aligns with the many countries (e.g. Italy, Lithuania, France, Germany, etc. ) who don't care in the least if the shovel is realistically depicted.

ii.1993; pict. G. Coghe

Loose bodyparts other than the head only, rarely happen. Several designs coming from regions under Sovjet influence feature seams (f.e. Russia), but it's rarely more than two. A man composed from seven pieces is exceptional though not unique (e.g. Libya).

ii.1993; pict. G. Coghe

A mirrored sign.


ii.1993; pict. G. Coghe

Look at his posture, this head­dress. This must be a nobleman.

Could it be – well it's just a wild guess of course –, but suppose that the Portuguese in 1910 didn't kill the royal family ? And instead stealthily sent the king to labour camp on Madeira. Wouldn't that fit with this road sign ?


Funchal, 12.x.2024; pict. J. Breine

There you have it. The first Mediter­ranean man has surfaced in the Atlantic Ocean far from his origins. Will he ever make it across to the American continent?

Read more about the Mediterra­nean group of road signs on the page about Slovenia.

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More roadsigns from Madeira: Children's Crossing - Falling Rock signs
Signs from Portugal: Men at Work - Children's Crossing - Falling Rock signs