History

The Inn Signs Exhibition of 1936

The signs and sign painters that fired up the public's imagination in this one-of-a-kind exhibition.

Better Letters

• 10 min read
Two pictorial signs, one showing a jug and one the head of a tiger. A third pictures a greyhound and lettering that reads "T
Window display for the Inn Signs Exhibition at London's Building Centre. Photo: Building Centre.

In November 1936, the Building Centre hosted an exhibition of inn signs, sign designs, and lettering at their central London premises. Six galleries displayed more than 400 artefacts, and over 250 of these were actual signs taken down and transported to London for the show.

Hanging the exhibition, and transporting the signs on New Bond Street in central London. Photos: 82119422 (H. Allen) and 3312752 (Topical Press Agency) at Getty Images.

Raising the Bar

The exhibition was dubbed 'The Brewers' Academy' by the Daily Express, in a nod to the prestigious Royal Academy of Arts, whose president, Sir William Llewellyn, opened the show. This represented a change in fortunes for the artform following the 1762 Grand Exhibition of the Society of Sign Painters. William Hogarth, believed to have been involved in that earlier show, was among the artists whose work was on display nearly 175 years later.

Black and white photo of a gallery setting with smartly dressed people looking at a dense display of inn signs which are mounted to the walls and hanging from the ceiling.
Visitors taking in the inn signs in one of the main galleries at the Building Centre in London, November 1936. The photos appears in the 1948 book, Inn-Signia from the Whitbread & Co. brewing company.

An Aside: George Biles

While George Biles was a contemporary of the sign painters in the 1936 show, none of his pub signs for the Palmers brewery were included. However, there are distinct echoes of that earlier exhibition in George Biles: King of Signwriters, which is on in Bridport 1–29 August 2024.

Jemma Thompson opening George Biles: King of Signwriters in Bridport, 31 July 2024. Examples of his pub signs and theatrical backdrops can be seen alongside original drawings, photographs, and a mockup of his studio. This is one of the three venues hosting the free show, which is a retrospective of George Biles' life and work and runs until 29 August.

Numerous distinguished individuals from the fields of architecture, art, brewing, conservation, and lettering made up the orgnising committee, and series of lectures were scheduled to coincide with the show. These were delivered by experts in ironwork, decorative arts and, in the case of Percy J. Smith, lettering and typography.