Up There is a twelve minute documentary about the nearly-lost art of hand-painted wall advertisements, the kind that eventually become ghost signs. The signs in this film were painted by Colossal Media/Sky High Murals and by Bob Middleton, himself the scion of a New York sign-painting family. [more inside]
posted by ocherdraco on May 20, 2010 - 11 comments

"Wall Dogs" were sign painters that crafted ads directly on the walls of buildings (in time becoming Ghost Signs, previously posted on Mefi 1, 2, 3) and their craft is not dead.
posted by Brandon Blatcher on Dec 23, 2007 - 6 comments

"Ghost signs" or "fading ads", are a window to an earlier time. "There may have even been successive ads painted on a particular wall -especially if it was in a prime location- so that the several layers of paint in their various states of decay now extend quite a mysterious message!" Toronto, Texas, Ogden. . . .Ogden? Meet one of the last of the "wall dogs". Browse a book. Somebody please buy me one of these. <Previously>
posted by spock on Sep 29, 2005 - 18 comments

More Magnificent Obsessions - 14to42.net - "This site intends to survey all of the signs in New York City from 14th Street to 42nd Street." Great photos of Ghost Signs, signs painted on buildings, signs attached to buildings, window signs, modern signs, graffiti signs, and even some pretty creepy signs, along with some surprisingly complete histories of the businesses the signs were made to advertise.
posted by anastasiav on Nov 11, 2003 - 14 comments