Graphic Design Blogs
Get flash to fully experience Pearltrees
60 Rare and Unusual Vintage Signs - Smashing Magazine
In the U.S., most outdoor signs made between 1890 and and 1950 were constructed of a base of heavy rolled iron, which was die cut into the desired shape, then coated with layers of colored powdered glass and fired in a kiln. This process made them durable and weather-resistant. Signs made this way were known as porcelain enamel signs or simply enamel signs. Porcelain enamel signs originated in Germany and were imported into the U.S. They quickly became a staple of outdoor advertising across the country.
In these galleries, it is our intent is to showcase some of the better, more interesting, wall signs photographed then and now. It is a long-overdue undertaking since, up until now, my sign photos have been stored in various places – boxes, drawers, slide holders, photo albums, mounted and framed, and more. The task of creating a website causes me to take inventory – nearly four decades worth – and to ponder anew the value and meaning of this quaint advertising genre and, perhaps most satisfying, place them all under one roof, so to speak. I began photographing wall signs in 1974 in and around Bellingham, Washington and continue to this day. I have lived in St.