Ghost signs

[Frunobulax]

THere's a good reason why 7-up was so soothing. Up until 1948 it contained a healthy slug of lithium citrate.

I always miss out on the good stuff.

 

[tonyb]

7-Up was long advertised as a healthful alternative to other beverages. I’ve seen old (like, very old) print ads suggesting it be given to infants. It was once promoted as a good mixer with milk.

Echoes of that carried into much more recent times. Remember “crisp and clean and no caffeine”?

Cursory research discloses that the “very old” print ads I alluded to earlier aren’t quite so old as I recalled. One ad recommending 7-Up to infants dates from 1955, and another from 1956. I found none predating those.

 

[3fingers]

it might end up in my barn if my daughter doesn't take it (she's expressed interest).

I have observed that adult children are great advocates of the philosophy of community property.
There are a number of things that were in my possession but are now in theirs. Oh well. One less thing they will have to deal with upon my demise.

 

[LizzieMaine]

7up 1930s style. How many medicinal claims can you squeeze into a single label?

I *have* been served 7up in the hospital, so maybe there's something to it after all.

 

[Frunobulax]

The sugar is inverted?

 

[LizzieMaine]

From the rare "enac ragus" plant.

 

[dh66]

About 30 years ago there was an incident in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, involving 7up and cheap tequila that completely cured me of drinking either one ever since. Any claim that it cures hangovers is complete nonsense. I believe my grandchildren will one day feel that headache.

 

[BobHufford]

Alton, Missouri.

The back of the old Ford dealership:

Doniphan, Missouri. Now a coffee shop.

 

[BobHufford]

Moberly, Missouri.

 

[BobHufford]

Bois D'Arc, Missouri.

 

[3fingers]

I'll bet none of our urban friends have a WD sitting next to their store.

 

[BobHufford]

Some remodeling has uncovered a local ghost.

Building on the left:

 

[barongan]

Those are two great examples!
NYC had some great ghost signs. Due to the recent building boom we've lost a lot of great old paintings.

nice

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Chillicothe, Ohio

 

[BobHufford]

I meant to capture an image of this very faded sign, but it only showed up decently in certain light and I never got it done. You can make out "MERCHANTS" above the first story windows something above the second. This was Springfield Seed Company beginning in 1896 and for 50+ years after. It was a farm implement business prior to that (built in 1888).

Now gone ... but in a good way.

 

[BobHufford]

Hartville, Missouri.

 

[tonyb]

In my email inbox today was another missive from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, this one featuring, among other items, a story about a fellow who restores old Coca-Cola signs painted on the exteriors of buildings. The restorer had painted such signs back when they were new, seeing how he started painting signs for Coca-Cola in 1958, shortly after his high school graduation. According to the story, new Coca-Cola “wall signs” were painted as recently as the 1970s.

I’m torn. I can see the value in faithful restoration. And I can see leaving those signs to go the way of all things.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I've seen badly restored signs and I've seen restored signs that look like they never had to be "restored" at all -- it all depends on the skill of the painter and their understanding of the original techniques used.

What bothers me are people who will sandblast a well-preserved sign to make it look more "ghostly." Someone did this to a sign for a now-defunct local department store here a few years ago because he thought it looked more "artistic" that way. His opinion is not universally shared.

And then there's fake ghost signs -- deliberately painted to look weathered and old, but not historic or authentic at all. We have one of these, too, on the side of a marijuana shop. The mind boggles.

 

[dh66]

In my email inbox today was another missive from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, this one featuring, among other items, a story about a fellow who restores old Coca-Cola signs painted on the exteriors of buildings. The restorer had painted such signs back when they were new, seeing how he started painting signs for Coca-Cola in 1958, shortly after his high school graduation. According to the story, new Coca-Cola “wall signs” were painted as recently as the 1970s.

I’m torn. I can see the value in faithful restoration. And I can see leaving those signs to go the way of all things.

I've seen badly restored signs and I've seen restored signs that look like they never had to be "restored" at all -- it all depends on the skill of the painter and their understanding of the original techniques used.

What bothers me are people who will sandblast a well-preserved sign to make it look more "ghostly." Someone did this to a sign for a now-defunct local department store here a few years ago because he thought it looked more "artistic" that way. His opinion is not universally shared.

And then there's fake ghost signs -- deliberately painted to look weathered and old, but not historic or authentic at all. We have one of these, too, on the side of a marijuana shop. The mind boggles.

Restoration jobs, whether professionally or poorly done, are at least an attempt to preserve something that somebody, somewhere has deemed worth saving. Ghost signs, neon signs, whatever. I don't always appreciate the outcome of the endeavor, but I can certainly appreciate the sentiment.

As for the deliberate destruction of something to create a false patina (pretty unforgivable) or the creation of something new that looks old....these speak to the impatience of the culture we live in. And maybe a little to the laziness. For generations now, pre-faded blue jeans have been the norm, and it's not unusual for the more fashionably inclined to drop some serious cash on a pair with holes already built into the knees. That's the mindset that would paint a new old sign on a pot shop. I'd like to say I wholeheartedly agree with Lizzie's assessment that it boggles the mind, but truthfully it's not surprising to me in the least. Sadly.

 

[tonyb]

^^^^^
“Distressed” is what that faux-old stuff is often called. Blue jeans, kitchen cabinets, electric guitars, etc., etc.

And now signs painted on building exteriors.

Your attributing it to impatience is on the mark, I think. There’s a delicious irony in it, this having to have the weathered stuff RIGHT NOW. Let’s just skip the weathering part.