The Ghostsigns Blog

The Ghostsigns blog is where I write up my own and others’ research. I have been published here since 2007 and there are over 500 articles in total. I welcome submissions, and now do a digest of these and other things of interest via the newsletter.

Pawned for Good: The Partial Palimpsest in St James

The ghost sign for the J.A. & G.E. Smith pawnbrokers in east London has been painted over and now lost. RIP.

5 Sep 2024
The Mirrored Owl Cigars of San Francisco

Early twentieth century photos show an Owl Cigars sign in reverse on a huge San Francisco wall. But why was it painted like that?

26 Jul 2024
X Doesn’t Mark the Spot: Revisiting an Islington Ghost Sign

Correcting the record for the Popham Street ghost sign previously thought to advertise X-Zalia, but now known to be for Nazalia. Photo: Roy Reed.

16 Jul 2024
H. Newman & Sons (Have Removed), Melbourne

A surviving palimpsest in the centre of Melbourne reveals the legacy of the jeweller and watchmaker Henry Newman. Photo: Sean Reynolds.

23 Jun 2024
Brain’s Honest Ale: Lost But Not Forgotten in Cardiff

A wonderful pictorial ghost sign for Brain’s ‘honest’ ales, photographed in Cardiff in the late-1970s by John Jenkins.

10 Jun 2024
W.E. Baxter: A Beautiful Palimpsest in Lewes, Sussex

Layers of lettering in Lewes, advertising the W.E. Baxter printers, bookbinders, and stationers. Photo: David Quay.

5 Jun 2024