Glass Sign artists throughout history

[Roderick Treece]

I am working on trying to compile a list of Glass Sign Artist and was wondering if anyone could add to my list.
No information before 1848.

J. J. Edwards1848 English / New York
Mr. Hale 1848

Rawson & Evans 1896s

Steve Parrish 1909- 1987

Frank Atkinson

Hensley Glass Sign Co 1970s ??

Noel Weber ?

Rick Glawson 1947 - 2003

John Studden

Dave Smith

Larry White


Thanks

Roderick

[DAVE SMITH]

Robert Freise, Chicago USA

David Trihilo not sure on spelling his surname? California

Brilliant Sign Co , London 1900 - 1970's England

Stuart Norton, Newcastle, England

James W itchel l , Glos, England

Rich Samsuel, Santa Cruz, California

Doug Bernhardt, Canada,

Jeff Lang, Pittsburgh, USA

Decorative Sandblasting Company ,Manchester England

The Decorative Sandblasting Company, London,Gray's Inn Rd England

Nero, London, England

Bill Hueg ,USA

Terry Sicobo, Seyschells

[Roderick Treece]

Dave,
Thanks Mate ! Got any dates for those names ?
I am hoping you might give me some insight into European history. There doesn't seam to be much available on line.Any contemporary Glass Sign Artists that feel they want to be included in this list are welcome.

J. J. Edwards1848 English / New York
Mr. Hale 1848

Rawson & Evans 1896s

Steve Parrish 1909- 1987

Frank Atkinson

Brilliant Sign Co , London 1900 - 1970's England

Hensley Glass Sign Co 1970s ??

Noel Weber ?

Rick Glawson 1947 - 2003

John Studden

Dave Smith

Larry White

Robert Freise, Chicago USA

David Trihilo not sure on spelling his surname? California

James W itchel l , Glos, England

Doug Bernhardt, Canada,

Jeff Lang, Pittsburgh, USA

Decorative Sandblasting Company ,Manchester England

The Decorative Sandblasting Company, London,Gray's Inn Rd England

Nero, London, England

Bill Hueg ,USA Glass Signs??

Terry Sicobo, Seyschells

Robert Freise, Chicago USA

Stuart Norton, Newcastle, England

James W itchel l , Glos, England

Rich Samsuel, Santa Cruz, California Glass Signs??

Doug Bernhardt, Canada,

Jeff Lang, Pittsburgh, USA

Roderick

[DAVE SMITH]

Goddard and Gibbs were masters at Elaborate mirrors not sure on dates but around 1900,i think they collapsed the business a year ago. Another incredible manufacturer was Cakebread Robey 1890.London. Another player was Baxendales Embossed Glass, Manchester and Edinburgh . Also a main glass company just up the rd from me Mark Bowden of Bristol.
Bowdens Brilliant Cut Ornamental Window Glass. 1857. First man to invent the overhead counter balance for sheet glass while brilliant cutting.
Walter Gibbs and sons, London 1866.Painter Writer and Embosser on glass.. and also introduced amber staining to cut glass and French embossing. I think this was eventually to become Goddard and Gibbs in around 1890 but not sure...James Carter Sign Advertising Mirrors 1888. . Jones and Firmin, London 1890.
big manufacturers of white and shaded tones. James Clark and Eaton Ltd London 1900's but poss part of Gibbs. W. James, Kentish Town 1880.
R.Morris and Son Writer on Glass This firm did the glass at the Princess Louise and were based around London.

There is a few Rod and I know some where I have more written down.

Dave

[Larry White]

Gary Godby, Mark Oatis, Raymond LeBlanc (after all, he wrote the book) Kent Smith, Tony Segale (his portfolio is downtown Lodi, CA), Danny Baronian, Mike Jackson, Pat Mackle (the walking encyclopedia of glass art),

a guy named Treece, Roderick Treece,

...and it's spelled "Trujillo"

Hey, Bob MitcheII wrote a book on Glue Chipped Glass Signs!

-Aho

[Patrick Mackle]

Dave,
Originally in my beginning quest to learn how french embossed glass was made, I contacted the British Embassy in Los Angeles.
They sent me a list of glass works in the UK. It must have been an old list because some of the retired companies you list were still noted in that list.
Back in the early 80's placing phone calls from that list I made a good contact with a Mr. Ken Lincoln who was the "works manager" at Clark Eaton glassworks. (One call I made was answered by an old bloke that warned me off saying "I wouldn't let you stand on me f--k'n door mat!!!) I got the feeling that he was pretty secretive of his trade.
Mr. Lincoln however was very gracious when I called him to ask about glass embossing. He invited me to visit the factory and even offered to send a car to pick me up at Heathrow. As it happened my best flight landed on a weekend, so I spent my first days walking London and photographing old pub dividers and mirrors. I also found the Nero glass embossers and one other shop in the east end of London by the name of Secon Glassworks.
Secon did brilliant cutting, embossing, and silvering of wheel cut mirrors. Their cutter was a young bloke aged 21.
When I later met with Ken Lincoln at Clark Eaton, I was shown around. Unfortunately the elderly brilliant cutting gent was "away on holiday".
However I was introduced to the glass embossers who were busy cutting out designs in lead foil used as acid resist on the glass, and shown the embossing room with it's large vented hood, as well as their sand blasting room. The blasting room was unique in that it incorporated a long rotating grainery screw within a grate under the floor that would return the sand blasted grit from the blast room back to the blast pot. This great idea eliminates the time consuming need to manually shovel and sift the grit into the pot. BRILLIANT!!
While in London I searched out the John T. Keeps company with the thought of returning to my shop with a good supply of the hard to find "Embosser's Black" or "Brunswich Black" a term used for the asphaltum based tarry resist used in embossing. I did not purchase any though, thinking that the airline would not allow me to carry on several gallons of petroleum based liquid. Also, the owner of Nero's had told me that they felt the black never really holds up to the acid completely and requires the need to apply more and touch up the missing bits before second and third acid tones.
I decided that I could probably formulate a resist of my own that would perform much better.

Dave, I recognize many of the old embossing companies that you mention from my years of researching the glass decorating trade.
Pat

[Roderick Treece]

Thanks everyone !!
Dave,
Any possible connections to these companies for
J. J. Edwards1848 English / New York
Mr. Hale 1848 ?

J.J. Edwardsand his son moved to NY from England in 1848. They were the first window gilders in USA.

Thank the Pommy's for the trouble were in !

Roderick

[Jeff Lang]

Old Smitty must be hitting the egg nog a bit heavy to put my name on that list...especially twice. I can't hold a candle to any of their talents, so take mine off, or put these on .
Pat, enjoyed that information, thanks.
Some of the guys many looked to for answers not on that list start with...
Bob Hovanec - Johnstown, PA
Gary Godby - Bealetown, VA
Jeff Cahill - Falcon, CO
Owen Quigly - Ireland
Bill Betz - Michigan
Bill Riedel - Little Ferry, NJ
John Jordan - Australia

[Roderick Treece]

Jeff,
It must be cause your such a nice guy. Could you put some dates to those names?

[DAVE SMITH]

I forgot to mention one man who should be mentioned here Arthur Louis Duthie I know he wrote the book Decorative Glass Processes but also a leading artisan with glass treatments and mainly white acid etching 1900. Also J.Pratt 1885 glass artist and silver and Angel Gild. Also not forgetting Robare M. Novou Glass Artist
and also Jeff Lang, Pittsburgh.
Dave

[Danny Baronian]

George C. Brooke, didn't see him listed unless I overlooked it.

He was the co-author of The American Signwriter, 1877. Made an album of 11 glass plates that Rick acquired, now at the sign museum. The Brooke
album is 7" x 4 3/4" signed on the inside cover as George C. Brooke, dated Kansas City November 10, 1870.

It can be seen here: http://www.theletterheads.com/glawson/brookmain.html

Danny

[Mike Jackson]

I think you missed Al Grand.

Bruce Jackson: Gold Reverre http://www.goldreverre.com/technique/gluechip.html

Also, James Callingham wrote "Sign Writer and Glass Embosser" printed in Philadelphia in 1871.

Mike Jackson

[Roderick Treece]

Thanks Mike,
But I think you forgot to add,
Mike Jackson to the list.
I still think that series of glass signs you did was top notch. I still go on your site from time to time to check them out. Very nice group of work !

Roderick

[oatis]

Your list must include Raymond Leblanc, Original author of Gold Leaf Techinques, as well as Art Sarti and Kent Smith.

And E.C. Matthews and Alf Becker, of course. Al Grand was an influence upon a great many sign artists. Don't forget Doug Bernhart and Tony Segale and Bill Hueg. Bob Mitchell was one of the first artists in the modern era to "re-discover" the art of glue chipping.

And these are only a few high profile artists, better known beacause they wrote books, or whose work appeared in trade periodicals.

A complete list would number in the thousands, and would include artists known and respected within their own sign communities.

[oatis]

Roderick: On my last post I mention "BOB" That's Bob M-i-t-c-h-e-l-l, one of the original 7 Letterheads, and Author of the first "Modern Era" book on glue chipping, "Glue Chipped Glass Signs."

Did you add Dan Seese? Tom Seibert? Dave McDonald? David Butler?

[erik winkler]

...

[Patrick Mackle]

I want to include some photos of the late Dean Hensley, owner of The Hensley Company in Pasadena.
Dean was a close friend of Rick Glawson. Dean was a great inspiration and possessed a great natural talent for designing his glass sign products with the early era motifs that we all admire so lovingly.
Many of you would instantly recognize his work. Dean designed the logo for The Casa Blanca Fan Company and I am certain that his
design instantly impressed the viewer with the impression that these fans were of the Highest Quality.
Pat

[John Studden]

Unless I missed something Mark Oatis himself is not mentioned here, he certainly rates as one of the best!..........

[Robare M. Novou]

The list of Glass Sign Artist might be better served if it was broken up into catagories.

Live - Dead - Past - Present - Before 1900 - After 1900, etc. Just some suggestions.

And also, Don't forget Charles J. Strong (before 1900) and Robert Frese (after 1900).

Heissler Junge by Charles Strong.jpg (166.35 KiB) Viewed 36419 times

[erik winkler]

...

[Robare M. Novou]

If I were to show you some "close ups", you would die of dehydration, from all the drool that would drip from jaw.

And then, you would never get the joy of looking thru the book "Signs of Insurance".

Signs Of Insurance.jpg (6.88 KiB) Viewed 36386 times

Of which is now on Ebay at a very low price....go get it Erik!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Signs-of-insurance- ... 4cec12524c

[John Studden]

Too Late.................

[Robare M. Novou]

Oh now John....that wasn't very nice! LOLROF!!!

I was going to email Erik with the link...but he's already getting a big box of books in the mail this week. So he'll be busy with that. Besides, that book comes up once in a while, so it's not like he won't get it in the future.

But now John...you owe me for the heads up! Just think about for a moment....give a little, get a little.
And if you want more.....you know my email address.

And now, lets watch Erik drool to death....

Heissler Junge by Charles Strong - Close Up 1.jpg (132.42 KiB) Viewed 36357 times

Heissler Junge by Charles Strong - Close Up 2.jpg (115.64 KiB) Viewed 36352 times

Heissler Junge by Charles Strong - Close Up 3.jpg (164.96 KiB) Viewed 36354 times

[John Studden]

Robare, Thanks for the link, owe you one.........That was one of the best periods for Sign design...........

[erik winkler]

...

[Robare M. Novou]

Midnight at the Oasis, eh Erik?

New York Sign Artist 1870's.jpg (124.2 KiB) Viewed 36329 times

Sweet Dreams!

[Roderick Treece]

Thanks Robare,
Yes I am trying to keep to a historic time line
Early European up to 1600
European to 1800
American 1800
American after 1800 to Depression
Mid century
Modern
Current

Roderick

Pat,
Thanks so much for the photos of Dean !!!
Do you have any of him with one of his signs ?

[erik winkler]

...

[Robare M. Novou]

Free would be good....right guys...Free!

Hey Erik, maybe John bought it as a christmas gift for you....oh, did I just ruin the surprise?

Well, if anyone is going to buy that book for themselves or as a gift for someone else, Here are some thoughts on pricing.

When I first started looking for that book many years ago, I could never find one under $200.

Then I found one for $100...so I bought it.

Then I saw one for $75....and now that one on ebay for $58.24 with free shipping.

I was gonna buy it and unload it on some fellow letterhead for $100 with no free shipping.

But being the holidays...I thought I would offer it up for grabs here on this site.

And as you can see, prices vary for this and any other books. Pricing is sometimes dictated by availability, edition, rarity, original cost, inflated cost, uninformed or motivated seller, uneducated buyer, economic hard times, market glut, item condition, etc.

And sometimes it just comes down to luck.

And remember, never pay full boat...always make an offer.

I have a "signs of Insurance" book....if anyone wants it....I want $1000 for it. What will you give me?

RMN

[Jerry Berg]

Thats a nice piece there Robare. That Studden fella's quick ain't he.... picked up that book as fast as he slaps gold.