Reveal

E. Mono in North London

Back in 2011 an old 1920s shop fascia was revealed on Kentish Town High Street. The nature of the E.Mono business remains a mystery but the new occupants, a kebab shop, decided the sign was worth keeping and named their shop after the historic proprietors. (Andrew Whitehead has written detailed pieces on the reveal on […]

28 Feb 2015

Dr Bells: A Stunning Ghostsign Reveal in Paducah

Rob Estes of Brushstroke Signs took the photograph below which reached me via Cornbread of the Walldogs. It’s of a recent ghostsign revealed in Paducah, Kentucky, and has elements that have survived in excellent condition, protected by an adjacent building that has now been demolished. (It follows hot on the heels of another recent doctor, […]

2 Oct 2014

Dr King: The Story of a Melbourne Ghostsign by Nick Gadd

This Melbourne ghostsign is a recent reveal and was captured by Nick Gadd, the writer behind Melbourne Circle. Nick’s research into the sign was recently published in an anthology of papers titled ‘Melbourne Subjective‘. He investigates the sign and creates a tentative hypothesis about who Dr King was with reference to a fictitious, but plausible, […]

17 Sep 2014

I Love It: Marmite Ghostsign Revealed

John Hunter, one of Australia’s prolific prolific collectors of ghostsigns, sent me these images of a recent reveal in Caulfield, Victoria. They were captured by Tony Mead, local signwriter, and are for a brand that I’ve never seen advertised in this form before. Tony and Stefan have added some research to the discovery which dates […]

28 May 2014

F.C. Osborn and the Fading Fascias

This beautiful shop fascia was recently revealed on Dalston Lane, Hackney, London, as part of renovations to the shop by a new tenant. (Thanks Bryce for tipping me off!). The following photos show some of the detail of this sign for F.C.Osborn, Bookseller, who occupied the premises from the mid-1920s to at least 1950. Prior […]

2 May 2014

D. Appell Fascia Revealed by the Valentine’s Day Storm

Ghostsigns are regularly revealed by property development and the updating or removal of billboards. This is the first instance I’ve come across of the weather, in this case the wind, leading to a shop fascia becoming visible once again. The ‘Valentine’s Day Storm’ last Friday ripped the Roti Stop sign off this corner building, leaving […]

19 Feb 2014

History Repeating: A Stunning Reveal on Bethnal Green Road

While creating this beautiful new signage for Casa Blue, Ash Bishop of The Brilliant Sign Co. alerted me to an astonishing discovery inside the premises of this newly converted bar. It is a fragment of some Victorian painted lettering, which Ash proposes dates from the 1880s or possibly 1890s. Check it out below or, even […]

29 Jan 2014

Palimpsest Revealed in Yelvertoft

This palimpsest has recently been revealed by the removal of the butcher’s sign that once covered it. However, the fate of this ghostsign is yet to be determined. Perhaps it will be covered again, and inadvertently protected, by a new sign. Or maybe the new residents will take a liking to the old sign and […]

15 Dec 2013

Brymay Reveal from West Norwood

You win some, you lose some and Caroline has definitely found a winner with this fantastic Brymay matches reveal in West Norwood. It is part of a wider campaign by the Bryant & May company, as can be seen by the other examples of their advertising in the History of Advertising Trust Ghostsigns Archive. In […]

24 Oct 2012

Multi-business ghostsign revealed in St. Petersburg, Texas

Fantastic reveal from St. Petersburg (Texas, not Russia). Three brands once resided in the building: Ermatinger hatters; Hayward’s toy shop; and the Wisteria confectionery company. Given the equal portion of wall space allotted to each business it is likely they split the cost of this sign three ways. It has been dated to 1929 and some […]

12 Sep 2012

Perfectly preserved Coca-Cola sign revealed in restaurant renovations

This is an amazing reveal inside a restaurant in Suffolk, Virginia, showing a vintage Coca-Cola almost perfectly preserved as it would have looked when first painted. This article offers some evidence that the sign could date from the 1890s, I wonder if they’ll do something with the top portion which is presumably on the second […]

2 Aug 2012

Childrens Hairdressers revealed in Greenwich Village

This sign was discovered here on the Greenwich Village Daily Photo blog.  It is a recent reveal soon to be covered up again, fittingly described by Ken Mac as “reverting to its time capsule status”.  This development has also been picked up on Frank Jump’s Fading Ad blog and Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York blog.

23 Jun 2012

Ukrainian Ghostsigns: Shadows of a Forgotten Past

Areta Kovalska just added a link to this post about ghostsigns from Lviv in Ukraine to the Ghostsigns Facebook page.  It not only has some fascinating images but also some insightful observations on the meaning of these pieces of painted advertising from the former Soviet Union.  See more from Areta on the Shadows from a […]

14 Jun 2012

Rain reveals Mazawattee Tea ghostsign at Sydenham station (via @DrMatthewSweet)

Photo: Dr Matthew Sweet Evidence of the weather revealing what might otherwise be hidden.  I’m sure I’ve seen a Mazawattee Tea sign elsewhere, perhaps with an illustration of some sort, any leads welcome in the comments…

6 May 2012

Weathering in Idaho leads to reveal of c.100 year old ghostsign

Photo: Roger Plothow This treasure has just been uncovered, more background on Roger’s blog [Link since expired].  It’s an interesting case of the weather working to ‘save’ a sign rather than eroding it.

27 Apr 2012

An RIP and a half from Surrey and Wimbledon

Photo: Ewan Munro This sign in Oxted, Surrey, is no more, while this one (pictured) is subject to the whims of ourdoor advertising company primesight.  Credit to Sebastien for picking these up. The True Form one reminds me of the Kings Cross Road BP sign before its eventual demise, and the ongoing updating of the billboards at […]

14 Apr 2012

1996 fire reveals two ghostsigns in Columbus, Ohio

Photo: udhcmh Documentation of the exposure resulting from fire on Ohio State University land in 1996.

7 Mar 2012

Faygo: Detroit Ghostsign Revealed by Destruction

Nice photo of the sign in its former glory also available (click here).  Looks like it has been painted at least twice because of the different layout in each image.

7 Feb 2012