Sam Roberts

Eddy’s Bread ghostsign restoration in Helena

A preview of the planned restoration of this Helena ghostsign later this year with some interesting debate on preservation issues and the history of the sign itself.

30 Jul 2012
French ghostsigns blog: Les murs peints s’affichent

Les murs peints s’affichent is a blog written by Philippe Célérier on the topic of ghostsigns in France. He adds updates quite regularly and it is well worth following if you are interested in hand painted signs on buildings from this country which seems to have so many. The image above is taken from this post […]

29 Jul 2012
Los Angeles murals photographed by Ernest A. Long

Daniel Lohmann kindly shared the link to this archive of Los Angeles mural photography from Ernest A. Long. There is an introductory article on the Getty education blog and the collection contains 200 images, all taken between 1973 and 1883. Like London it seems that Los Angeles also has a proud tradition of mural art, I […]

28 Jul 2012
Signpainters of Detroit

Detroit blogger John Carlisle showcases some of the hand painted signs on walls from the motor city and meets the men who make them. It is interesting that many of them only use the signpainting to supplement their incomes or to support their other artistic endeavours. Note the slogan on the picture above, taken from […]

27 Jul 2012
More San Francisco Ghostsigns mapped

The latest research by Kasey Smith of the Perception Filter blog is now plotted on a map with images and research available by clicking on each marker. It’s building into quite a collection and shows at a local level part of my vision for a global mapping of hand painted advertising on buildings.

25 Jul 2012
Ghostsigns from Krakow in Poland

Areta Kovalska’s ‘Shadows of a Forgotten World’ blog continues to offer up excellent material from Eastern Europe. This time she has travelled to Poland and documented some of the beautiful ghostsigns of Krakow, after the previously featured examples from Lviv in Ukraine. I love the one shown above for its innovative use of the large brick […]

24 Jul 2012
Vote Against Prohibition Ghostsign in Baltimore

This is the first ever example from the modern era that I’ve come across of hand painted advertising on buildings used for political purposes. There are the ancient ghostsigns of Pompeii which I’ve written about before and also the murals of places like Nicaragua and Northern Ireland. This photo from Samuel Adam Johnson caught my eye […]

23 Jul 2012
Following Ghostsigns and a New Mailing List

I’ve just set up a new mailing list for Ghostsigns as part of the overall update to the site. You can sign up here or by entering your email address in the side panel to the right. This mailing list will be used to send out occasional emails and perhaps a newsletter in the future. […]

22 Jul 2012
American Roadside sign art from Bill Martin

Bennie Frazier’s retro fashion store in Sweetwater, Texas, is an unlikely home for a collection of original artworks from Bill Martin, late resident of the same town. These depict the colourful roadside signs that once characterised American highways, often using neon and sometimes as big as the buildings they were positioned on. These were referred […]

22 Jul 2012
Salisbury Ghost Sign Restoration Project

The Salisbury Ghost Sign Restoration Project is an initiative of three enthusiasts in North Carolina. They have recently unveiled their first two restorations, both for Coca-Cola signs, so I thought it was time to catch up with one of the trio, Justin Dionne to find out more about the project. Can you tell me a […]

21 Jul 2012
Melbourne’s Ghostsigns with Finding the Radio Book

Finding the Radio Book is a fascinating piece of work being undertaken by Dr Stefan Schutt of Victoria University. It all started with a piece of paper floating in the wind and has now evolved into a research project focussed on the archival records of the Lewis & Skinner signwriting company who ceased trading in the […]

20 Jul 2012
Derek McDonald film and interview

Another signpainter profiled on film, this time Derek McDonald of Golden West Sign Arts, one of the craftsman who worked on this year’s ‘Declaration of Independence’ campaign for Jack Daniel’s. More from Derek in this extended article from Oakland North. Is it just me or do there seem to be more and more of these […]

19 Jul 2012
Signs and street scenes from Hong Kong in 1972

This photo essay on Business Insider shows photos of Hong Kong as it was in 1972, including many street scenes and various forms of signage. The photos are all by Nick DeWolf and more can be found in his corresponding Flickr set. The one above reminds me of the contemporary use of walls in Dhaka, […]

18 Jul 2012
Fort Collins and Watertown Ghostsigns

Building on the various tours and trails already published on this site, here are some more: Download a pdf of the Fort Collins Ghost Signs Tour (1) Download a pdf of the Fort Collins Ghost Signs Tour (2) Download a pdf of the Watertown Murals and Ghost Signs Tour Besides the two walking tours above, […]

17 Jul 2012
Pandora Range McClary’s Stoves sign repainted in Cambridge, Ontario

The restoration of this ghostsign in Canada is part of an effort to reinvigorate the downtown area of Cambridge, Ontario. Read some observations on the process of restoring this sign and also this article celebrating the completion of the piece.

16 Jul 2012
Owl Cigars ghostsign mystery in San Francisco

Kasey Smith of the Perception Filter blog has just posted this fascinating piece of investigative research into the origins of the Owl Cigars ghostsign on Meacham Place, San Francisco. Can you think of any other theories that would explain its unlikely position given the evidence that Kasey presents?

15 Jul 2012
Dusty Signs doing it the old way in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Lovely video about Dusty Signs‘ Dan Madsen, picked up on Typedeck where there is more information and a gallery of Dan’s images. Dan also showcases his work on Flickr and there is a detailed interview with him on the Type Archive site [Link since expired].

14 Jul 2012
Letter-press and type setting in El Salvador

Sadly google translate doesn’t work on video yet but I used it to get the following approximation of the description of this film. If any Spanish speakers can add anything to this after watching then please write in the comments or get in touch. This is a short documentary, a byproduct of a study that […]

13 Jul 2012
Sign Painters book cover painted by Ira Coyne

The Signpainter Movie project have just released this cover design for the book to accompany the film. Hand painted by Ira Coyne (featured previously here) it has certainly whetted my appetite for the planned October launch date. Visit the project blog to read more about the book launch and current activities on the film. Looking […]

12 Jul 2012
The origins of painting on walls

I’ve become increasingly intrigued by the origins of painting on walls, and the evolution of the form over time, up to the current vogue for street art. While the walls of caves were not made of brick, they did nonetheless provide people with an early canvass for their painting. The transition from these depictions of […]

11 Jul 2012
Ghostsigns in ‘Down Your Way’ magazine

Yorkshire is the focus for this three page spread on ghostsigns in Down Your Way magazine from earlier this year. Thank you to Mark Whitley of Country Publications for allowing me to republish this piece here.

10 Jul 2012
The restoration of the Brixton Windmill mural

Check out this photo essay from the London Mural Preservation Society documenting their project to repaint Brixton’s Windmill mural. It is a fantastic achievement and a vibrant and colourful result at the end of this undertaking which involved many people from the community and beyond. Bravo!

9 Jul 2012
Fuller, Smith & Turner: Chiswick Ales & Stouts

This new hand painted sign on the building housing the Union Tavern was sent to me by regular correspondent Ross Corben. It is advertising the famous Fuller, Smith & Turner brewery from nearby Chiswick and has clearly been produced to have a dated look, in keeping with some of the ‘faux’ ghostsigns discussed previously. It […]

7 Jul 2012
Flamboyant calligraphy from Luca Barcellona & Francesca Biasetton

In a slight departure from painted lettering here is a film by Marco Puccini showcasing some flamboyant examples of inked lettering using a variety of calligraphy tools. While on the subject, it is also worth checking out this film profiling master calligrapher Paul Antonio on the Guardian.

6 Jul 2012