Signs in Media
Books, articles and video relating to ghost signs.
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Holland-America Line, Santander
The retouching of an illustrated ghost sign for the America-Holland Line in Santander, Cantabria, Spain. Photographed by Federico Barrera Garaña / Santatipo.
14 Feb 2024
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The Shifting Sands of London’s Ghost Signs Landscape
Ghost signs lost, partially destroyed, and ‘brought back’ from the dead in the shifting sands of London’s ghost signs landscape.
15 Jan 2024
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Chicago Ghost Signs and the Beverly Sign Co.
Fundraising to save two Chicago ghost signs with a connection to the Beverly Sign Co.
6 Aug 2022
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Recovered Letters and Signs on the Streets of Valencia
Exploring Valencia’s historic signs with Juan Nava and his Letras Recuperadas (recovered letters) project.
27 Jun 2022
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Fundraising to Repaint Fry’s Cocoa Ghost Sign
A woman in Bristol whose house hosts a wonderful ghost sign for Fry’s Cocoa is crowdfunding to have it repainted.
14 Jun 2021
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London’s Best Ghost Sign (And a New Book Cover)
Announcing the winner of the competition to be crowned London’s best ghost sign, and an exclusive kickstarter only cover for ‘Ghost Signs: A London Story’
5 Jun 2021
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London’s Best Ghost Sign? You Decide!
Twitter competition to decide London’s best ghost sign, in support of the publication of ‘Ghost Signs: A London Story’
28 May 2021
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Getting Closer to André Perot’s Faux Ghost Sign on Park Street
A ‘faux’ ghost sign for André Perot near Borough Market prompts an investigation of films and TV series using the location for sets.
5 Apr 2021
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Uncovered Signs in Shanghai, New Book from The Type
Preview of Uncovered Signs in Shanghai which documents briefly revealed hand-painted shopfronts and other signs from the Chinese city.
29 Mar 2021
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Glasgow’s Ghost Signs Through the Lens of Stuart Neville
Stuart Neville has been documenting Glasgow’s ghost signs since 2007. His collection serves as a record of these changes.
15 Mar 2021
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Ghost Signs & Light Capsules in Winnipeg
Ghost signs & light capsules in Winnipeg are the focus of Writing on the Wall, a short film about the city and the work that has been done to document and preserve them.
4 Jan 2021
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Restoration Period: My Monotype Recorder Article Now Available to Read Online
Extended article examining what to do about ghost signs in terms of conservation, restoration, and protection.
30 Nov 2020
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Ghosts of London’s Wayfinding Past in this New Book
Highlights from Alistair Hall’s London Street Signs book.
15 Oct 2020
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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 the American Civil Rights movement. (Watch on www.pbs.org here.) Hat tip to Meredith at the Pre-Vinylite Society for spotting this, and to PBS for creating the documentary.
30 Nov 2018
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Introducing the Pre-Vinylite Society Journal
There is one week left to back the printing of a brand new publication that will be of interest to all those interested in hand-painted signs (old and new), art, design, architecture, and the intersections of all these. One of the articles inside will be the first of my planned ‘Lettering Locations’ series, featuring the […]
23 Nov 2018
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Shropshire Shop Fronts of the 1880s
My father-in-law discovered this astonishing collection of high quality photography showing the high street in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, in 1888. They were photographed by Joseph Lewis della-Porta who came from a retailing family and had the foresight to document these images which convey so much of life 130 years ago. They are part of a collection […]
31 Aug 2018
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64,000-Year-Old Neanderthal Cave Paintings
Continuing the occassional exploration of ‘ancient’ signs, I was thrilled to hear of this evidence that Neanderthals were busy painting the walls of caves across Spain. This species, almost dubbed Homo Stupidus (yes, stupid man!), were not previously known for this type of cultural activity, and this remarkable work has discarded that prejudice for good. […]
27 Jul 2018
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Karl Blaschke: The Sign Man of Munich
[This book review is reposted from the original on the Better Letters blog.] “Signwriters are entitled to their immortality just as are other artists and craftsmen” – Kevin Corrigan Kearns, Dublin’s Vanishing Craftsmen Signwriting is perhaps the least documented of the lettering disciplines; it’s nature is ephemeral versus the relative permanence of calligraphy on important […]
18 May 2018
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Painted Advertisements in Islington: Part 4
The list below of painted advertisements in Islington was compiled in the hope that some of those reading it might write in with additional locations not known to the compiler, and in the belief that painted advertisements in other parts of London would make a useful, educative and rewarding topic for those, whether private enthusiasts […]
2 Mar 2018
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Painted Advertisements in Islington: Part 3
The list below of painted advertisements in Islington was compiled in the hope that some of those reading it might write in with additional locations not known to the compiler, and in the belief that painted advertisements in other parts of London would make a useful, educative and rewarding topic for those, whether private enthusiasts […]
23 Feb 2018
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Painted Advertisements in Islington: Part 2
The list below of painted advertisements in Islington was compiled in the hope that some of those reading it might write in with additional locations not known to the compiler, and in the belief that painted advertisements in other parts of London would make a useful, educative and rewarding topic for those, whether private enthusiasts […]
16 Feb 2018
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Chasing Ghosts for the Coca-Cola Company
I was recently invited by the Coca-Cola Company to write a piece about ghost signs for their website. It turned into something of a summary of my journey over the last 11 years since noticing my first ever fading painted advertisement. Read it here [Link expired], and see more of my writing on signs and […]
19 Jan 2018
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On Tour with Albani Calusin and RMIT
Back in March last year I had the pleasure of taking two groups from Melbourne’s RMIT on my Stoke Newington Ghostsigns Walk. This was the second time I’ve worked with the University on their special European study tour and, again, it was a really enjoyable experience with two bright and enthusiastic groups. Following the study […]
5 Jan 2018
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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 this blog, and explored the themes in articles here and elsewhere. There are also pieces in the book looking at the issue in the context of particular projects. My personal […]
22 Dec 2017
