Before the advent of digital fonts and the ability to reproduce graphics on a large scale, there were sign painters. Today, printers can produce countless posters and advertisements, but there was a time when retail windows required hand-painted promotional signage, and business names often presented the same effect. Of course, this industry has virtually disappeared as new technologies have emerged that make it cheaper and faster to produce public information. However, just like vinyl records and film cameras, just because new methods have emerged for everyday use, that certainly doesn’t mean the art form ceases to exist.
New book published by Letterform Archive, Lettres Décoratives: A Century of French Sign Painters Alphabetscelebrating the vitality and timelessness of French iconography of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Based on a collection of lithographs dating from around 1875 to 1932, the book contains more than 150 full-color reproductions of these bold lettering samples. These portfolios once served as catalog-like albums, providing inspiration for styles and themes that could be translated into large billboards and small signage alike.
Although decorative painting existed long before decorative lettering became popular, it took a while for it to catch on. “It was not until the nineteenth century that painters turned letters into the main decorative element,” sign painter Morgane Côme writes in the introduction. “Indeed, even then, many of the letters written on signboards, canvas awnings and vehicles remained simple in form, inheriting the inherited pattern of Roman square capital letters and modern variations used in typography. The new need for eye-catching signs required significant changes in perspective.”
Explore more in your own copy, available from the Mega Store.
