History: Sign painting, sign painters, signs and lettering

Elderly man standing in front of an enormous fading painted sign advertising Sam Caldwell & Co., Painters & Decorators..

People

Meet Chuck Keiger, Sam Caldwell's Cincinnati Walldog

Story of sign painter and walldog Chuck Keiger, painter of Cincinnati's Sam Caldwell ghost sign.

Close-up of a lower arm adorned with four coloured wristbands: pink; green; yellow; orange.

Letterheads

London Calling: A Personal Perspective

Reflections on London Calling: Letterheads 2018, five years after the international meet.

Close-up of a hand applying paint to a wall with letters outlined in masking tape.

People

The Magic of Mr Masking, Costa Rica's King of Tape

The typographic vernacular of Gerardo Picado's masked and painted letters in San José, Costa Rica.

People

That Saturday Afternoon Jaunt with John Frazier, Original Letterhead

The designs and drawings of John Frazier, Letterhead, designer, letterer, sign painter, and artist.

Man at a shop counter surrounded by signs.

Places

Found in Frome: Moore & Sons' Farm and Feed Ephemera

For over 100 years, a humble West Country animal feed shop has grown a vast collection of ephemera.

Detail of a varnished sign reflecting the image of a bridge opposite.

Projects

Recreating Newcastle's Iconic Tyne-Tees Steam Shipping Sign

Ash Willerton's process for painting and gilding a replica heritage sign board on the River Tyne.

Films

Reflections on the Impact of Sign Painters, Ten Years Later

Sign Painters' stars reflect on its influence, alongside those whose sign painting lives it changed.

Projects

Alighting in Astoria: A Permanent Light Capsules Legacy

A wall of ghost signs brought back to life with a permanent Light Capsules installation.

Archival photo of a sign painter standing at the entrance to his shop with is adorned with numerous signs.

History

Ye Olde Sign Shoppe: Denmark's Adolf Andersen

A remarkable archival collection reveals the story of Danish sign painter Adolf Andersen.

Books

Bonus Material from BLAG 02: Exclusive to Members

Exclusive bonus material for subscribers to BLAG (Better Letters Magazine), building on the articles and features in Issue 02.

Projects

Poetic Painting on the River Leie in Ghent

Maarten Leenknecht and Michel Steppe bring back the lines first painted for a 1999 poetry festival.

Various signs on display near the top of a bookshelf.

People

Grierson Gower's Treasure Trove of Antique and Vintage Signs

A look inside the home of Grierson Gower, and his vast collection of antique and vintage signs.

History

Ernie Harrison and His Fearless Crew of Lincoln Painters

Under the leadership of Ernie Harrison, the Arthur B. Wright decorating firm scaled new heights.

Sign painter working with paint and brush.

History

Carga Máxima and the Sign Painting Styles of Lima, Peru

How regulatory signs on goods vehicles gave birth to Lima's Carga Máxima sign painting style.

Projects

Behind the Panel: Alf Becker at Lockdown Letterheads

Alf R. Becker's alphabets and the inspiration for Mark Oatis' Lockdown Letterheads panel.

Portion of book cover with an illustration of a person painting the word 'SIGNS'.

Books

Signpainters Don't Read Signs by Syl Ehr

Signpainters Don't Read Signs (1957) by Syl Ehr published as a digital download in seven parts.

"Grave No.7, approx. 800, April, 1945" and "Grave No.2, approx. 5,000, 24th April 1945"

History

Sign Painting the Horror of the Belsen Concentration Camp

The sign painting work of Reginald Price commemorating the dead at Belsen concentration camp.

Books

This is How Signs in London's Heyday Were Painted

Full text and accompanying images from the 'Sign Production' chapter of Ghost Signs: A London Story.