Sign Painters

This illustrated history of hand-lettered painted signs across America, and the craftspeople who created them, is a lovely paean to a vanishing art ( The New York Times ).

There was a time—as recently as the 1980s—when storefronts, murals, banners, barn signs, billboards, and even street signs were all hand-lettered with brush and paint. But, like many skilled trades, the sign industry has been overrun by the techno-fueled promise of quicker and cheaper. The resulting proliferation of computer-designed, die-cut vinyl lettering and inkjet printers has ushered a creeping sameness into our visual landscape.

Fortunately, there is a growing trend to seek out traditional sign painters and a renaissance in the trade. In 2010 filmmakers Faythe Levine, coauthor of Handmade Nation , and Sam Macon began documenting these dedicated practitioners, their time-honored methods, and their appreciation for quality and craftsmanship. Sign Painters , the first anecdotal history of the craft, features stories and photographs of more than two dozen sign painters working in cities throughout the United States.

This is not only a wonderful book, a delight to take in, rich and telling in its details and a visual pleasure with its gorgeous photography. It's an important book that captures a largely untold story. — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel