Year: 2012

Housefront Coronation Mural Uncovered

Here is John Shaw in Burton scraping the final bit of paint off the front of his house which revealed this home-made mural from 1953 celebrating the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. A bit more about the discovery in this article from the Burton Mail [Link expired].

12 Dec 2012
Ghost graffiti

The captions say it all really, note that the graffiti and the building it is on have both lasted longer than the enormous block of flats in the background. Found via Robert Lambie on uksignboards.com.

8 Dec 2012
Sydney ghostsigns from Finding the Radio Book

This and a number of other ghostsigns images from Sydney, Australia, are featured on the Finding the Radio Book blog. Stefan notes that he didn’t find a huge number on his visit there, many overlapping with those on the Preserve site. This could be due to the nature of the places visited i.e. more central […]

1 Dec 2012
It’s Alive: Gilding with Ken Davis

Ken Davis – It’s Alive from Taylor Morgan on Vimeo. Hope you enjoy this short film about the gilder Ken Davis and his piece on glass for Empire 7 Studios in San Jose, California. Find more video content on Ghostsigns.

28 Nov 2012
Hand-painted Asahi beer sign at the Earl of Portobello

Regular correspondent Ross Corben sent me this newly painted sign for Asahi beer on the side of the Earl of Portobello pub in West London (close up below). It’s an unusual brand for a piece of hand-painted advertising in my opinion, at least in light of the synergy between other users of the medium such as Jack […]

24 Nov 2012
Vandalised frescoes with a twist in Valencia’s cathedral

This before and after of a fresco in Valencia cathedral shows that smutty humour will never grow old – the drawing on the angel’s wing will be familiar to anyone who has ever visited a school toilet. What is interesting about this one is that it was added by a workman in the 17th century […]

21 Nov 2012
A novel approach to ghostsign conservation from Vancouver

This ghostsign for the Little Theatre in Vancouver is the subject of a unique preservation effort prompted by the efforts of the Grandview Heritage Group. In response to a letter sent to the developers currently at work on the building they have been told that two actions will be taken to preserve the sign. First […]

17 Nov 2012
Liverpool Ghost Signs by Caroline and Phil Bunford

Today sees the publication of the UK’s first ghostsigns book. Liverpool Ghost Signs by Caroline and Phil Bunford is “a sideways look at the city’s advertising history” and features over 150 images of fading, crumbling and disused signage. Caroline and Phil were almost single-handedly responsible for the material from Liverpool in the History of Advertising […]

15 Nov 2012
Ghostsigns from Invisible Bordeaux

Tim Pike runs the Invisible Bordeaux blog. I recently helped him find some locations in the area for a new series of posts about ghostsigns. In addition to this first blog post about ghostsigns in Bordeaux, Tim has cleverly plotted them all on a Google map which he will add to as he makes more […]

3 Nov 2012
Sign painter tributes from Colossal Media and the Sign Painter Movie

This was new to me today, the first film from Colossal Media and a tribute to the team at Sky High Murals who execute their huge hand-painted advertising murals in the USA. Nice. (Read more Colossal Media posts.) Another tribute comes in book with the publication of ‘Sign Painters’ by Faythe Levine and Sam Macon. This […]

31 Oct 2012
Is this Lipton’s tea sign genuine, repainted, or something else?

This Lipton’s Tea sign on Frank Jump’s blog has led him to ask if it is repainted or even a modern recreation? It is in Denver Colorado and to me the borders look very unusual which might lend some support to the recreation thesis. The sign painting company (The Curran Co.) named in the bottom […]

27 Oct 2012
Brymay Reveal from West Norwood

You win some, you lose some and Caroline has definitely found a winner with this fantastic Brymay matches reveal in West Norwood. It is part of a wider campaign by the Bryant & May company, as can be seen by the other examples of their advertising in the History of Advertising Trust Ghostsigns Archive. In […]

24 Oct 2012
Ghost Signs of Kidderminster by Laurie Abraham

This collage, ‘Ghost Signs of Kidderminster’, by Laurie Abraham scooped first prize in a competition to depict the heritage of Kidderminster in the Midlands. It puts together a number of signs of different types from around the central market area, including those painted by hand, chiselled from stone, relief lettering and even brick colours used […]

20 Oct 2012
Montreal ghostsigns book

I’ve just learned of a new book that has been published all about Montreal’s ghostsigns in Canada. It looks to be a fascinating addition to the literature, especially as it juxtaposes faded signs with archive photos of them when the paint was a lot fresher. It is the personal project of Réjane Bougé who, in this […]

17 Oct 2012
Anthony Quinn and the Victor Clothing Company

This huge advertising mural in Los Angeles was painted to coincide with with the Olympics in 1984. Named “The Pope of Broadway”, the mural features a local hero, the actor Anthony Quinn, and was painted by the artist Eloy Torrez. It advertises the Victor Clothing Company which moved to these premises in 1923 after being founded in […]

13 Oct 2012
RIP: Midford Fox

This photo from the early 1900s comes from the Akeman Press Archive and shows a family posing with their car outside this former tavern in Midford, Somerset. Kirsten Elliott from Akeman informs me that the last remains of the sign have now been rendered and painted over, making this a recent addition to the growing […]

10 Oct 2012
Jamaican Dancehall Signs by Maxine Walters

Gabriel Heatwave sent me a treat of a link to this article about a new book and exhibition celebrating the hand-painted signs used to advertise dancehall events in Jamaica. A copy of the book is on order and will be reviewed at a later date. (Order yours here.) These signs are amazing and come from […]

6 Oct 2012
HAT Ghostsigns Archive upgrade

The Ghostsigns Archive has been updated as part of the wider upgrade to the History of Advertising Trust website. There are not only more photos available but also a new search function which allows you to browse just the ghostsigns pages. This is not the main site search but the one pictured above immediately before […]

3 Oct 2012
Walking tours and talks with Frank Jump

A couple of treats next week for those residing in, or visiting, New York from Frank Jump, author of the excellent ‘Fading Ads of New York City’: 1. An Illustrated Lecture and Book Signing on the evening of Wednesday, 3rd October at the New York Society for Ethical Culture. 2. Two walking tours of New York’s fading […]

29 Sep 2012
Was Walter Kershaw “Britain’s first graffiti artist”?

This question gets some coverage on the Guardian in this article about the Rochdale-born artist who rubbed councils up the wrong way in creating his artworks in the North of England. You can learn more about the man and his work, including various global assignments, on the Walter Kershaw website [Link expired]. There is also […]

26 Sep 2012
Walldogs: Murals on Main Street DVD

This is one of 17 murals produced during a Walldogs ‘meet’ in Pontiac, Illinois, in the summer of 2009. These events bring together sign artists from around the world to decorate towns and cities with colourful murals. In this case it was the home of the International Walldog Mural & Sign Art Museum and a place […]

22 Sep 2012
RIP: A.E. Piggott & Sons, Leicester

This large canal-side ghostsign has fallen victim to the demolition of its host building in Leicester. More details of the location can be seen on Amy’s photo of the sign on Flickr where it is also noted that it made a cameo in the first Walkers crisps commercial featuring Gary Lineker (0:36 and 0:55 below). […]

19 Sep 2012
The signpainting of Anthony Purcell

After finding this fantastic collection of Pittsburgh ghostsigns on the Steeltown Anthem blog [Link since expired] I dug a little deeper and came across another great set of photos. These, including my favourite above, celebrate the hand-painted murals and signs of Anthony Purcell. He also has his own website and this is the Steeltown Anthem home […]

15 Sep 2012
Multi-business ghostsign revealed in St. Petersburg, Texas

Fantastic reveal from St. Petersburg (Texas, not Russia). Three brands once resided in the building: Ermatinger hatters; Hayward’s toy shop; and the Wisteria confectionery company. Given the equal portion of wall space allotted to each business it is likely they split the cost of this sign three ways. It has been dated to 1929 and some […]

12 Sep 2012