Individual Signs

Blog posts about particular ghostsigns, including those which have been lost (RIPs), repainted or where some general research has been done about the sign.

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
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
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
A Halesworth Ghost Sign with a Celebrity Connection

A surviving ghost sign for William Frost, the ironmonger grandfather of the late television star Sir David Frost. Photo: Wayne Tanswell.

22 Apr 2024
Handel in Aardappelen (Potato Dealer) in Delft

A 1920s potato dealer sign from Delft in The Netherlands, photographed by David Quay, Type Tourist.

31 Mar 2024
Ghost Signs from Colombia and Bolivia

Pictorials and palimpsests on ghost signs for Ridomil, Lupano, and Gladymar photographed by Sarah Jupp in Colombia and Bolivia in 2015.

9 Mar 2024