History: Sign painting, sign painters, signs and lettering

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.

BLAG

Bonus Material from BLAG 02: Exclusive to Subscribers

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.

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.

History

Messages Made to Last: Painted Ceramic Advertising Murals

A whistle-stop tour of Europe's key locations for painted ceramic advertising and decorative murals.

Places

Rótulos of Cuauhtémoc: The Whitewashing of Vernacular Signs in Mexico City

The food stalls in Cuauhtémoc are having their hand-painted signs erased by order of the mayor.

History

Ye Olde Sign Shoppe: Smeed's Smart Signs

The story of Smeed's Smart Signs in Herne Bay, Kent, and its surviving gilded glass shopfront.

Films

Face in the Sky (1933)

Video of Face in the Sky (1933), the adventures of two traveling sign painters who find an unexpected passenger in their van.

People

Juan 'el Petudo': Sign Painting King of La Palma

Barely known outside of the Canary Islands, Juan Santana Martin was a renowned local sign painter, leaving a lasting legacy.

Places

Vintage Sign Painter Kits at the American Sign Museum

Sign painter kits on show at the American Sign Museum, including a new late-19th century acquisition.