The [Normal] Sign

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The Normal vol. I Detroit’s Painted Supergraphic Ben Rambadt

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[Normal] Sign Detroit’s Painted Supergraphic Ben Rambadt

Image Left : Hopps Hardware ghost sign (ca. 1950) and Sponge Bob Square Pant s (ca. 2009) share a wall in Detroit , MI 1 Photograph taken May 5, 2010

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[Ghost] Sign Detroit’s Painted Past

Image Right : Honor Bright Ghost Sign (ca. 1920). Downtown Detroit , MI 2 Photograph taken December 19, 2010

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“ They are the wall signs of a lost civilization—America’s early supergraphics. These signs speak of another time, the infancy of American advertising.”3

Image Right : Goodrich Ser vice Station (ca. 1940) Downtown Detroit , MI. 4 Photograph taken July 24, 2010

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The Early Painted Ad In the late 19th century and first half of the 20th century Ghost Signs took off when the development of cities escalated and vacant sides of buildings were prime spots for ads. Prior to and after the development of the roadside billboard, hand-painted advertisements were the most effective and logical way to expose a company’s logo to the public consumer. Large corporations would commission and send out talented artists, who were skilled chemists and daredevils, to take on the job of traveling around the city and countryside to paint large format ads on commissioned buildings . Not only had these signs created an image for companies, they also provided employment, unique ways of utilizing architecture, and subconsciously printed a history of Detroit that has lasted to today.

Image Right : Woodward Avenue Detroit , MI (ca. 1910). 5

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Atlas Furniture Company

Har tz Building Ghost Sign

Gratiot Ave. Detroit , MI (ca. 1930) 6

Detroit , MI (ca. 1930) 7

Photograph taken Januar y 16, 2010

Photograph taken June 16, 2010

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Corner For t St . near Ambassador Bridge Detroit , MI (ca. 1935) 8 Photograph taken July 31, 2008

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Wrigley’s Double Mint Gum (ca. 1910) 9

Wall Dogs with scaffolding 9 Photograph taken May 31, 2009

The people who worked for the large companies during the heydays of

companies that still remain in the United States.

hand painted advertisements were called “Wall Dogs” or “Letterheads”.

The Wall Dogs would travel around the city with their paint kits to

Work was a combination of grunt, chemistry, and art; giving Wall Dogs

commissioned wall spaces, working as quickly as possible to get one

their own unique character of being rough yet skilled artists. Most of

sign painted per day. Then they would camp over night in a makeshift

the men doing this job had backgrounds in the arts from either aca-

shelter or hotel and move on to the next location early in the morning.

demia or from being an apprentice. The first couple of years on the job

These artists would be gone from home for months at a time, improv-

a painter would not even paint a sign, they would stand back, watch

ing their skill and creating images of America’s past.

the master-painter, and learn the trade as a handed-down skill. This method of learning is still being used today by the larger sign painting

Image Right : Two people painting sign on scaffolding. (ca. 1940) 10

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“...Detroit ghost ads become a part of the local 12 landscape...�

Image Left : Carhar tt Ghost Sign (ca. 1955) Corner Kercheval and Eastlawn Detroit , MI 11 Photograph taken May 31, 2008

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“...in a way that’s far different from modern printed 12 billboard ads.”

Image Right : Chips and Beer Ghost Signs (ca. 1965) Detroit , MI 13 Photograph taken Februar y 28, 2009

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[Commercial Folk] Sign Detroit’s Normal Sign On The Street

Image Right : Abandoned Beer and Wine shop Detroit , MI 14 Photograph taken December 10, 2003

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“ The most effective signs are the most succinct and the 15 least subtle.�

Image Right : Abandoned Auto Repair Shop Detroit , MI 16 Photograph taken October 1, 2010

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The New Painted Sign The ghost sign heyday lives on in spirit throughout Detroit on the walls that host the craftsmanship of artists from the turn of the nineteenth century. Today in Detroit, there still lives a craftsmanship of sign painting that has pronounced itself on all the secondary streets from Greenfield and Puritan. These signs are the products of small businesses looking to make a name for themselves by means of either subtle or sensational spectacles of art in advertising. This form of art is one that does not fully employ a single level of art skill like the sign painters from the early 1900s.

They have trained for years to acquire the proficiency we see today in the ghost signs, but today rather a mixture of both skilled and novice artists occupy the work that is called, “Commercial Folk Art.�

Image Right : Phase One Car Wash 7714 Gratiot Ave. Detroit , MI 17

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Images 18-26: Photographs of Detroit , MI storefront s on secondar y street s display an array of ar tist s experience and quality.

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“In Detroit, wall ads are found mostly along secondary roads in the neighborhoods, on the sides of small brick buildings. Some are ill-proportioned, crookedly lettered, or poorly drawn. Others are nothing more than a few colorful words scrawled next to a door.�27 26

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“ ...they’re inexpensive, eye-catching, and long-lasting, and in a city mired in economic misery, they’re still in demand.”28

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In response to Detroit’s recent economy, business owners have been

its people do the best they can with what they have. These elaborate

more compelled to resort to an advertisement different than the

store front pieces of commerce and art display a spirit and hope that

normal, more expensive billboard or vinyl signage. The paint used for

the people of Detroit hold onto and believe in as they continue to re-

these signs is wielded by either the store owner themselves, a friend

paint or touch up possibly their only and best means of marketing.

who knows a thing or two about painting signs, or hiring an actual artist who has trained in the trade and has much more experience.

It is interesting to see the range of skill and detail in the signage.

Commercial Folk Art illustrates an ambitious attitude of Detroit and

Image Left : Abandoned local Grandy Market . Detroit , MI 29 Photograph taken May 3, 2008

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“They seek to be independent of, and free from, the burden of the second-class treatment and to be equitably compensated for their physical, mental, and economic contributions. In this regard each sign, whether unselfconsciously sincere, deliberately ironic, calculated, or naive, is as articulate as the Declaration of Independence. It is about the desire to have a piece of the dream.”31 Image Left : Sam’s Loans, Money in 1 Min. Corner Michigan and Wabash Detroit , MI 30 Photograph taken June 30, 2008

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“A muralist once told Sweet Juniper that Detroit hardware stores paint their wares on the sides of the buildings to advertise products to those who are illiterate. In 1998, the National Institute for Literacy estimated that 47% of Detroit adults were functionally illiterate.�33 Image Left : M c Dougall Hardware On street corner in Detroit , MI 32 Photograph taken May 23, 2009

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An apparent difference from this generation of hand-painted wall

their whole building and painting ads on every surface of it. This may

ads from that of the earlier hand-painted ads at the beginning of

seem like an overly desperate approach to advertising, but in Detroit

the twentieth century is the use of wall space and the building

desperate is something that allows businesses to be seen. This form

types available. In Detroit the best available spaces for business

of advertisement in Detroit is unique because it displays a side of

owners to display their products is either on their own building or

Detroit’s people who survive for themselves and for the benefit of the

on another building besides their own if their budget permits. With

city.

these businesses lacking deep pockets, they must turn to utilizing

Image Right : Mr. Fix-It 5916 W. Warren Detroit , MI 34

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The artists commissioned to paint these elaborate store fronts and

lift up from the blight that seems to consume the city and the exterior

building sized advertisements do their job partially for the money,

of the buildings. Each artist has their own quality and characteristic

but mostly for the joy that they get out of utilizing their artistic skills.

flair, from the bright colors used, to cartoon-like characters, and

Some names that appear on these paintings are some of the more

more abstract “kaleidoscopic� colorful works of art like that of Kevin

advanced and experienced artists in this line of work: Michael Wilson,

Patrick. Many of these artists paint ads and store business signs

Scott Caudle, Jeff Young, Kevin Patrick, Marty (MPH), Klein, Norman,

on the side to help finance some of their personal endeavors of

and Richard. These artists are the handy work for those needing a

supplying their own paint studios for their art work.

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Images 36, 37, 38, 39: Michael Wilson 36 Scott Caudle 37 Scott Caudle’s Paint Van 38 Talkative Michael Wilson 39

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“ It makes them believe. It gives them hope that they have a 43 future.”

Images: 40, 41, 42 Nakoma’s Car Wash, Detroit , MI 40 —Photograph taken May 13, 2009 Washitaw Barber N Hair Stylist , 11391 E. McNichols, Detroit , MI 41 Aunt Dot s Fish & Chips, Detroit , MI­­­—Photograph taken April 9, 2009 42

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Can a greater more positive effect be made in Detroit from these types of hand-painted signage?

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When Detroit improves, will there continue to be a need for hand-painted signs on second hand stores?

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