Ye Olde Sign Shoppe

Man and woman facing the camera, holding a framed sign that reads "Barker Signs, Est. 1964".

People

60 Years On the Brush: The Barker Signs Story

Maurie Barker founded Barker Signs in 1964, with his daughter Liane now keeping things hand-painted.

Wall sign with tall sans serif letters painted dark blue with a yellow block shade.

People

Ye Olde Sign Shoppe: Gran Canaria’s Tomás Prieto Gálvez

Adventures in life, family, and sign painting with Tomás Prieto Gálvez in the Canary Islands.

Elderly man standing in front of a shopfront which is emblazoned with a huge fascia sign that reads "SIGNS".

People

Meet Earl Phillips: Cleveland's Greatest Living Sign Painter

Biopic of Earl Phillips, proprietor of Cleveland's U-Need-A-Sign Co. at 131st Street since 1960.

Hand-painted portrait of the Godfather holding a massively oversized cat smoking a cigar.

BLAG

Bonus Material from BLAG 04

Bonus content from the adventures in sign painting in Issue 04 of BLAG (Better Letters Magazine).

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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, reissued in print, and as a digital download.

"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

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.

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.