Archive

The archive launches

Thank you to everyone who came along to the launch event last night, photos below. The archive is now available so make a visit and have a browse. I’m really happy with the way this has all come together and as I said last night it would simply not have been possible without the generous support […]

19 Mar 2010

Archive launches tomorrow…

The final video and image highlight as we count down to tomorrow’s launch of the archive. The picture is from the new Hotels & Restaurants gallery while the video features an assortment of different categories which previously didn’t have a home (they now do!). Finally, below, is another video from much earlier in the project […]

18 Mar 2010

Two days to launch…

Another video and image highlight as we count down to the launch of the archive on 19th March. These are from the Media & Entertainment gallery, although the video was made before the slight adjustment to the categories and has some for shops and retailers that have been split across a number of the new […]

17 Mar 2010

Three Days to Launch…

Another video and image highlight as we count down to the launch of the archive on 19th March. These are from the Tradesmen & DIY gallery, although the video was made before the slight adjustment to the categories and has some that now feature in the Hotels & Restaurants gallery. More tomorrow.

16 Mar 2010

Four days to launch…

Another video and image highlight as we count down to the launch of the archive on 19th March. These are from the Medical & Health gallery. More tomorrow.

15 Mar 2010

Five days to launch…

Another video and image highlight as we count down to the launch of the archive on 19th March.  These are from the Services & Financial gallery. More tomorrow. Kodak / A.S.Ashby by casillero

14 Mar 2010

Six days to launch…

Another video and image highlight as we count down to the launch of the archive on 19th March.  These are from the Household & Furniture gallery. The images being featured in this countdown to launch are all those that feature on the postcard series which will be available to buy from Friday, 19th March. More […]

13 Mar 2010

One week to launch…

Another video and image highlight as we count down to the launch of the archive on 19th March. These are from the Travel & Transport gallery. The images being featured in this countdown to launch are all those that feature on the postcard series which will be available to buy from Friday, 19th March. More […]

11 Mar 2010

Eight days to launch…

Another video and image highlight as we count down to the launch of the archive on 19th March. These are from the Shoes & Clothing gallery. More tomorrow.

10 Mar 2010

Nine days to launch…

Another video and image highlight as we count down to the launch of the archive on 19th March. These are from the Food & Drink gallery. More tomorrow.

10 Mar 2010

Ten days to launch…

With ten days until the archive opens I thought it would be worth picking out some highlights of the project so far.  I’ll do one each day until announcing the archive is open for business on Friday, 19th March. First up is this great photo of the Puck Match sign in Leeds and, below, another […]

8 Mar 2010

February Favourites

Every so often I have a dig around in the Ghostsigns Flickr group to see what new arrivals have landed since my last visit. Leaving it for two months meant that over yesterday and today I’ve made lots of great discoveries.  As yet they’re not all due to be included in the archive but I […]

26 Feb 2010

Roofads

Church Street, Ashbourne, Derbyshire Photo: rebalrid As I get increasingly close to the material gathered for the archive I start to notice little subtexts, themes and oddities within the collection. The latest of these is a series of what I have tentatively called ‘roofads’. These are signs painted directly onto the roofing tiles of buildings, […]

18 Feb 2010

Postcards

A sneak preview of some postcards that I’ve been working on with Jane to accompany the launch of the archive. More news of these and how to get hold of them to follow…

12 Feb 2010

Liverpool Ghost Signs on TV

This was broadcast on ITV Granada on Sunday, 31st January and featured Caroline & Phil Bunford who have added their collection of signs from Liverpool to the archive.  This follows up the piece on the BBC Liverpool website. Well done Caroline, look out for more coverage of the project in the coming months. [Update: Liverpool […]

2 Feb 2010

Project press (BBC Liverpool)

Caroline has secured the first press coverage for the archive and her work capturing signs in Liverpool.  Read the full story on the BBC Liverpool website. If anyone else has any contacts that would be interested in covering the 18th March launch then get in touch. [Update: Liverpool Ghost Signs book now published.]

15 Jan 2010

Draft Chapter (Food & Drink)

I’d love to get your feedback on a draft chapter for a possible book to accompany the archive. If this gets published then it will help raise funds to support the ongoing work of the History of Advertising Trust in this area. As usual please leave comments below or get in touch. NB. The images […]

8 Jan 2010

Who was Little Miss Barber?

Check out these West Midlands signs featuring a character called Little Miss Barber. But who was she? She appears on painted advertisements for Barber’s, Orantips and Twinings teas but besides these photos there seems to be no record of this energetic tea promoter. More images can be viewed in this Flickr gallery, any help finding […]

8 Jan 2010

Merry Christmas from Ghostsigns

A little video treat to wish you all the best for the festive season, courtesy of the ghostsigns project. (Inspired by Jane’s card and with music from The Children of St. Philips School Cambridge.) Merry Christmas!

20 Dec 2009

What was John Bull?

A magazine or a tyre brand? Or something else? While working on refining the categories for the archive I came across two signs which I am now uncertain about and I need your help. These are both for brands that adopted the moniker John Bull, which I now understand is a generic character akin to […]

12 Dec 2009

100 Contributors

100 photographers have now added their pictures to the forthcoming archive using this form. The 100th person to do so was Terry Cliss, known as casillero on Flickr, and one of his images is this one for a fantastic sign in Frome. Contributors to date: addedentry akvinby7 Albert S. Bite Alex Dennis Alquin Antony J […]

11 Dec 2009

Ghostsigns (Most Wanted)

Here are six Flickr galleries of signs not yet ready for inclusion in the Ghostsigns Archive.  The archive is set to launch in January 2010. To date there have been almost 3,000 photos added to the Flickr group from over 300 photographers. Many of these have also been confirmed as gifts to the History of […]

26 Nov 2009

Forms Received

Just a quick update on the progress of the archive. So far over 90 forms have been received from those who have been contributing to the Flickr group. Thank you all, the plan is for the online archive to be launched in January 2010. There’s still some way to go in order to ensure that […]

3 Nov 2009

Trades & Hospitality

I’ve been a little tied up with changing jobs and planning a wedding but am now back to blogging and pushing the archive forwards again. First up is the final montage in the current series, this time celebrating signs from two categories, Trades, Builders, Plumbers, Handymen and Hotels, Cafes, Restaurants.  These have been combined under […]

22 Oct 2009