IN CELEBRATION OF Signs of the Times’ 120th anniversary, we are traveling back in time not just through the magazine’s history but also the story of signmaking itself, one of the world’s oldest trades. Former ST editor, publisher and American Sign Museum (Cincinnati) founder Tod Swormstedt provides a highly informative tour of the signs on display at the museum that exemplify some of the most significant signmaking techniques of the past century and more, which pushed the entire industry forward and led to the signs we know and love today.
Plastic
On display at the museum is one of the oldest fully plastic signs in the US, according to Swormstedt: a clamshell-shaped sign for Shell Oil Co., fabricated by Artkraft Sign Co. (Lima, OH) in 1946. The recognizable, modern-looking bright yellow-and-red sign is internally illuminated with lightbulbs as fluorescent technology was not yet used for signage at the time.
Neon
Neon signage began to rise in popularity and prominence in 1923 when Claude Neon — founded by engineer and inventor Georges Claude — brought improved technology from France to the US, but neon signs had existed prior to that. The oldest such sign in the museum’s holding and one of the oldest in the country, depicting simple “GAS” letters framed in a blue circle, dates back to turn-of-the-century Buffalo, NY.
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Early Electric Advertising Signs
With several representatives at the museum, one of the earliest types of electric advertising signs consists of “stock” modular letter panels and decorative components, such as corners and scrollwork, that could be assembled into different signs for different purposes. The technology and this sign were created by Federal Electric Co. (Chicago) — now Federal Heath (Hurst, TX), which celebrated its 125th anniversary in March — with a patent dating to 1903.
Opal Glass
Flexlume Sign Co. (Buffalo, NY) is probably the best-known crafter of illuminated opal glass signs, with several Flexlume pieces on display at the museum dating to the 1920’s — though Swormstedt notes that a Canadian company also tried their hand at the technology before Flexlume received the patent for their opal glass letters in 1917. To obtain the patent, a Flexlume representative submitted a letter along with a letter mold. All three items are now displayed together at the museum.
Vacuum Forming
Not too long after the introduction of plastic signs in the 1940’s, vacuum forming was developed to create large-scale displays and letters, such as those formed by wooden molds for giant Coke bottles and the letter ‘O’ from “Kroger” by Tyson Sign Co. (Myrtle Beach, SC) on display at the museum. In the vacuum-forming process, a hinged square frame is first laid on a flat table, then sheeted plastic is laid on top. Application of heat causes the plastic to soften and slink over the frame. Finally, a vacuum former sucks the air from the material to pull the plastic tightly around the mold, Swormstedt explains.
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