Welcome to The Hand Lettering Forum! This is an interactive Bulletin Board on the topics of Sign making, design, fabrication, History, old Books and of coarse Letterheads, Keepers of the craft. The Hand Lettering Forum features links to resources, sign art history, techniques, and artists profiles. Learn more about Letterheads at https://theletterheads.com. Below you'll see Mchat has been added as a live communication portal for trial, and the Main forum Links are listed below.
Here in the 21st century, we often look to the beginnings of the craft with romance in our hearts and a longing for the good ol' days when everything was a one-off piece and a paint splattered sign kit was the mark of a craftsman to be watched and admired.
It seems however, that not all of the craft was looked on with such admiration. If you weren't keeping a good eye on your business establishment, it seems you could get tagged by roving bands of wall dogs. (how fun would that be?)
Here is a newspaper excerpt from yesterday's Silverton Standard and Miner in Silverton, Colorado. The article on the right, reprinted from 1903 shows a glimpse life before the spray can was invented.
You gotta love small town newspapers. The other articles are typical of a weeks news in town.
The residents of Machine should probably post guard at night so as not to awaken to huge adverts for picante sauce from NEEEW YERK CEEETAH painted on the livery wall.
Denver Chapter of the Letterheads