Brief 3- History of Sign Writing

Painted signwriting on a wall at Pompeii (79 AD) by Aemelius Celer, the first identifiable signwriter.

Detail from the inscription on Trajan's Column in Rome (113 AD), signwritten then carved, from which all western typography ultimately derives.

Detail from Beer Street by William Hogarth (1751), the best-known image of a traditional sign painter.

John Reeder, signwriter and philosopher, 1792 - the first identifiable English practitioner.

Trade classes for signwriters were established by the National Association of Master Painters.

Vernacular style for a fairground stall (1995).

Hand-drawn college workout by Richard Gregory (1987), a first attempt at using gold leaf techniques, which was later used to decorate the canteen.

Graphic design in England has blossomed in the second half of the 20th century, and modern display fonts became increasingly popular for shop signs (and popular with signwriters). Pubs were still thriving, often employing decorative styles, and professional signwriters regularly did gold leaf work.

I have found a website with a lot of vintage sign writing photos on however the website doesn't have much information on it but I really like the photos, I might use them somewhere else in my website or on the history page.