Best of the “Letterheads”: number 3, 1996
About the cover
Portland Oregon’s annual Rose Parade will be taking place today, but before they line up, entry 85, proudly festooned with flowers and greenery, stops in front of the sign shop to record the moment. Portland Sign Co. circa 1918 was a small shop staffed by men of letters that knew how to draw the public’s attention to their enterprise. By painting and erecting a large oil-cloth banner from the roof, then attaching gilt wood letters to a framework behind they managed to make their small shop appear the two story edifice we see reproduced on our cover.
Designs from the minds of cosmic Ray Renooy
Keepers of our craft: Stephen D.Kiplinger…
…who lives and works in Syracuse, IN was born in 1907 and started painting signs after watching and learning from a man by the name of Batson in Lewisville, Indiana at the early age of 15. In 1935 he went to work for the Sinclair Petroleum Company travelling all over Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. Some days he could letter three nine foot logos at $ 7.50 each after which a night’s rest in his travel trailer would come easy .
“I often visit with my friend, Stephen, during his morning walks down our road.” — David
Ephemera 🗞
Note the date on the letter to the left. Christmas is just around the corner, money is probably a bit tighter than usual, and you would like nothing better than to have everyone owin’ to you even up. I don’t know that people ever really talked in the fashion this letter was written in bit most everyone back in those day said it on paper that way.
Keepers of our craft: Art Johns
Born in 1900, he was throughout his life involved in the lettering, gilding and other decorative work on circus wagons, signs, banners and barns in and around the city of Peru (Circus City), Indiana.
When the circus came to town it meant plenty of work for Art Johns. The Cole Brothers, Sells-Floto and Hagenbeck-Wallace Circuses were among those that called Peru their headquarters. Mr Johns was a versatile sign man , working gilt circus wagons, banners, window gold, murals and displays with the confidence born of experience.
Active in the sign business and an active volunteer to the Circus City Foundation for many years, it was Art Johns in 1964 that took the time to help and encourage our good friend, James Mitchell of Fort Wayne, IN. Mr. Johns passed away in 1974.
Old letterheads
Sample these examples of the salesman’s samples from the Mike “cool beans” Smith archives — New Carslile, Ohio
Keepers of our craft: John Ohnimus
A well read collector of first editions and consultant to libraries, eloquent speaker, designer, author and artist John George Ohnimus, is best known today through his work published in Henderson’s Sign Painter book of 1906. Born 1865 in Philadelphia he traveled extensively throughout the country settling in Denver where he created some of the finest artwork of his career. It is through the surviving plates such as those reproduced here from the original book that we still today are able to draw ideas and inspiration. A man whose time, spent pursuing his many interests and activities, overshadowed his concerns for the welfare of his family. He died penniless in 1932. His enduring legacy… the layouts ans designs we appreciate today.
Did I do that?😓
That’s my very own original script above on a sign that I painted some 24 odd years ago… I quit using it a few years later.
I’m responsible for this image of a sign too. Much like my earlier attempts at signpainting I’m pretty excited about digital imaging these days. What I’m finding out is that it doesn’t take very long anymore to look back…and laugh at myself. — David Butler
Rawson & Evans
Glass, durable & stable, unique as a material to be gilded, chipped, mirrored, etched & painted ia also quite fragile. Shown here is a Hillside Rye Whiskey sign manufactured before the turn of the century. The care given to this piece on it’s many moves in a century of promotion is a testament to the value placed on the work of the craftsmen of yesterday.
