A Tale of Two Murals
A Tale of Two Murals is a documentary that raises important questions about the conflicts that arise between public and private ownership of walls in Atlanta.
USA
F.W. Woolworth Co. and the Winston-Salem Sit-Ins
Absolutely fascinating investigation uncovering the historical connections between two glass signs for F.W. Woolworth Co. and the Winston-Salem sit-ins that played a major role in … Read more
Brilliant at Las Vegas’ Neon Museum
[This is a reposting of the original blog post on Better Letters.] Since 1996 Las Vegas’ Neon Museum has put the city’s decommissioned signage on … Read more
Los Angeles’ Reverse Palimpsest
This ‘reverse’ ghost sign was recently revealed in Los Angeles and provides a third example of concrete setting and holding back the paint that once … Read more
King Size Viceroy Reversal in Rockford IL
This ghost sign in Rockford, Illinois advertises Viceroy cigarettes, and that they are ‘Now King Size’. It was shared on Twitter by BarbarianDiva and is … Read more
Restoration & Regeneration
The restoration of ghostsigns is a topic that causes much debate among enthusiasts and members of the public alike. I have covered many projects on … Read more
Photo Album of Painted Coca-Cola Signs (1914)
Earlier this year I came across this project to restore a photo album of painted Coca-Cola signs, dating from 1913-14. The album is a fascinating … Read more
More Minnesota Ghostsigns…
Earlier this month I was back in Mazeppa, Minnesota for more workshops with Mike Meyer and Better Letters. This gave me an opportunity to see … Read more
Hidden Coca-Cola Ghostsign in Portland’s Witherspoon Building
Peter Vogel runs the Nutmegger Workshop in Texas, and specialises in vintage and faux aged signs. Back in 2014 he sent me this collection of … Read more
Gold Dust Washing Powder: An Unsettling Reveal
Lurking in my folders of blog post ideas I came across a photo that I’d forgotten about, of a ghostsign advertising Gold Dust Washing Powder. … Read more
Ken Jones’ Butte Palimpsests
Dr Ken Jones has been doing an incredible job documenting the ghostsigns of America via his American Ghosts project. Not only does this involve detailed … Read more
Tracing the Origins of ‘Ghost’ Signs
When did old painted signs on walls become known as ‘ghost’ signs, and who coined the phrase? These questions crop up often in my discussions … Read more
Cars and Ghost Signs by Tom Pawlesh
Tom Pawlesh got in touch and shared his cool collection of images composed by juxtaposing ghostsigns with a variety of classic cars. He has currently … Read more
Fading Ads of Cincinnati
Fading Ads of Cincinnati by Ronny Salerno is the latest in the series of books from The History Press. Documenting the ghostsigns of his hometown, … Read more
Writing on the Whale and Other Novelties
Joe Thompson emailed me these fascinating photos of lettering on unusual objects, namely a dead whale (1919) and a shipwrecked oil tanker (1926). They are … Read more
Fading Ads of Philadelphia by Lawrence O’Toole
This ghostsign advertising Roxy’s Hunting Goods did for Lawrence O’Toole what the Stoke Newington Fount Pens sign did for me. It sensitised him to the … Read more
Dr Bells: A Stunning Ghostsign Reveal in Paducah
Rob Estes of Brushstroke Signs took the photograph below which reached me via Cornbread of the Walldogs. It’s of a recent ghostsign revealed in Paducah, … Read more
Skirting the Edges of a Ghostsign in Washington DC
Here is a new (to me at least) approach to respecting ghostsigns while undertaking building renovations/property development. The host wall of this sign in Washington … Read more
Fading Ads of St. Louis by Wm. Stage
This stunning photograph is from the cover of Wm. Stage‘s latest addition to the ghostsigns literature, ‘Fading Ads of St. Louis‘. Stage’s first book, ‘Ghost … Read more
Moving Walls to Save a Ghost Sign
In an effort to save this fading and rusting shop front, Beth and Tony Walls moved the entire building 150ft to allow for a highway … Read more
Mirrored Ghostsign from Portland, Oregon
Following the talk at St Bride, a chain of events led to Ash at Brilliant Signs, via Stewart at McLaren Signs, sending me a copy … Read more
Anarchy on the Walls: Ghostsigns, Street Art & Graffiti
Kasey Smith’s ‘Perception Filter‘ blog is well worth a follow for all ghostsigns enthusiasts. Her dispatches from San Francisco have been a big influence on … Read more
Fading Ads of Birmingham by Charles Buchanan and Jonathan Purvis
Birmingham, Alabama, is the location for this addition to the ghostsigns literature from resident advertising expert and artist Charles Buchanan. For a city founded as … Read more
Sign Painters: The movie, the book and the resurgence
The Sign Painter Movie is now on tour with dates booked in until November, including Scotland and New Zealand for those outside the film’s USA … Read more