History: Sign painting, sign painters, signs and lettering

Exhibition space with brightly decorated vehicles on low plinths.

People

Phool Patti Brings Pakistan's Decorative Artform to the World

Meet Phool Patti's Ali Salman Anchan, harnessing Pakistan's decorative art for social enterprise.

Two men posing outside a ramshakle timber shack with a large No.2 painted on the side, and bits of sign painting work around.

History

Sign Painting the Goldrush in Hill End, New South Wales

1870s Australian sign painting and sign painters in the remarkable A&A Photographic Co. collection.

Close-up of a hand picking up a tiny tin of paint made to scale for a larger diorama.

Events

Watch the Free Recordings from BLAG Meet: Inside Issue 03

Signs, sign painting, and more in these free event recordings from BLAG Meet: Inside Issue 03.

Layers of painted advertising fading on a portion of a brick wall.

History

Listen to the Walls: Stories of London's Advertising Past

Hear the stories of seven brilliant London ghost signs, as told by Sam Roberts, aka Mr Ghostsigns.

Plaque-shaped sign with hand-painted words, "Drawing materials, surveying instruments, artists supplies".

History

The Pittsburgh Portfolio of the H.H. Seiferth Sign Company

Hand-painted and gilded signs by H.H. Seiferth in early twentieth century Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Illustration of street scene with lettering for the book's name.

People

The Memories of Arthur Gill, Gold Beater turned Signwriter

Audio from sign painter Arthur Gill's memoirs, I remember! Reminiscences of a Cobbler's Son.

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.