I have recently been focused on my adventures in sign painting at BLAG (Better Letters Magazine). Issue 02 of the print publication came out in December and I’m offering 25% off the monthly subscription to Ghostsigns: Words on Walls readers. This includes a copy of Issue 02 (pictured below) while stocks last…
Sign Painters’ Anniversary Watch Party
It’s been ten years since the release of the influential feature-length documentary Sign Painters. I’m hosting a free online ‘watch party’ on Saturday 18 March, an opportunity to enjoy the film, see previously unreleased footage, and put questions to the directors and stars.
(Visit this page for more information about the film and this online event.)
Ghost Sign Corner
Every issue of BLAG (Better Letters Magazine), and most of the free email newsletters, has a ‘Ghost Sign Corner’ feature. Here are some stories that I’ve recently shared.
H. Newman & Sons, Melbourne
Issue 02 of BLAG featured this Melbourne palimpsest, with the most recent layer directing customers to the new location for the Newman’s jewellery and watchmaking business. Sean Reynolds at @melbourne_ghostsigns tells the story of Henry Newman, and how he ended up running this business so far from his Russian birthplace.
Rock City Barns
In the free email newsletter I featured these signs advertising Rock City, Tennessee, and their story from this article.
Holland-America Line
This was the ‘Ghost Sign Corner’ feature in Issue 01 of the magazine which is now out of stock. This is the full text, translated by me from the original Spanish by Federico Barrera Garaña / @santatipo.
This sign dates from the early twentieth century and advertised the Dutch shipping company Holland-America Line, which is still trading today. It promoted the firm’s routes between the Netherlands and the Americas, which also picked up passengers and cargo in various European ports—including Santander, Spain, where the sign is located. The name of the local agent, shipping magnate Francisco Garcia, is also on the sign, which is positioned on a curved wall to take advantage of its corner location.
In 2017, work was carried out to bring back elements of the sign that had decayed significantly. This was done by the Escuela Taller, a local youth training and employment programme.
In homage to the sign, Federico Barrera Garaña recreated the design and has made it available as a free download from his santatipo.es website. It’s also features in his book, Santatipo, alongside a wider study of Santander’s sign and graphic heritage.
Stephen Tull, London SE1
I’ve often thought of capturing a series of ‘ghost’ ghost signs, ie where it is obvious there used to be a sign on a wall. For this one, I subsequently found a ‘before’ image and included this pairing in the December edition of my free BLAG email newsletter.
Permanent Light Capsule
Seven (!!!) years ago I helped Craig Winslow bring his Light Capsules initiative to London. He continues to evolve this brilliant body of work and the latest iteration is a permanent installation in Astoria, Oregon. There is a launch party scheduled for 18 March and it’s free to attend.
Thanks for reading. I’ll finish with plugs for our book, Ghost Signs: A London Story, and my digital audio-visual walking tours.
And do take out a subscription to BLAG (Better Letters Magazine) which, as you’ve seen above, regularly contains a healthy dose of ghost sign content.
All good things, Sam