Old sign painted font ID

[ENTDesign]

Do any of you sign painters recognize the font used in this old drug store sign (up at the top of the building, not the neon).

http://www.phillipdriscoll.com/cunninghams.gif

I don't know if it was a document style or an invention of the sign painter, but if any of you have seen it and could point me to a name or reference, I would appreciate it.

Thanks for looking.

 

[Tim D]

You might check www.letterheadfonts.com they specialize in that type of lettering.

 

[bob]

Do any of you sign painters recognize the font used in this old drug store sign (up at the top of the building, not the neon).

http://www.phillipdriscoll.com/cunninghams.gif

I don't know if it was a document style or an invention of the sign painter, but if any of you have seen it and could point me to a name or reference, I would appreciate it.

The term 'font' is even more meaningless when referring to a painted sign than it usually is. Every letter on a painted sign is a product of the hand of whomever painted it. No two sign writers will interpret any actual typeface in the same way. Even two of them following the same pounce pattern. A notable exception to this are, or rather were, billboard painters who didn't lletter but reproduced exactly what was in a grid square.

You might find a font file that kinda sorta looks like some hand painted effort or another but you'll never match exactly it because it only exists in one place. On that sign.

 

[Gino]

Yeah, that’s just some ‘Walldog’s’ off the brush painting. Thick/thin letter with hats and feet.

That’s around the 40’s and as bob said, no one referred to it as fonts… it was all styles back then and most hand painters had about a dozen or so styles that they could letter on the fly at any size.

More important than your question in my opinion is what is really written on the ‘Water Tower’ LOL

And look……. No trash all over the streets and sidewalks….. what a time to live in…….

 

[Jillbeans]

http://www.thefontry.com/atkinsonvol1 (Atkinson alphabets)
http://www.thefontry.com/arbpak1 (Alf Becker alphabets)
You might find something useable with either one of these sets.
Love....Jill

 

[dclet]

Alf Becker! good stuff.... thanks for the link Jill...

 

[Geary]

Just want to ditto the other posts.....and state the "closest thing" in a provided "font" is the best you can hope for when it comes to real sign painting .

Happy hunting!

~Gear

 

[Steve C.]

With just a little effort you can alter Seagull Med to look like it... In my day
we called 'um Letter Styles or Alphabets.

 

[Dave Drane]

More important than your question in my opinion is what is really written on the ‘Water Tower’ LOL

…….

"Mack", What did you think???:Big Laugh :Big Laugh

 

[Gino]

Yeah, I know..... everyone's heard of Mack water ??

I thought it said 'Fire Truck' You know, where they used to fill up the tankers for the next fire. Yeah, that's the ticket. They used 'Avery' vinyl and some of the letters blew off.

 

[onesource]

Just a sign painters personal style, you'll just have to get close or duplicate the best you can. Us old sign painters can just look at it and paint it but getting it to vinyl is a little different.
Good Luck!

 

[Steve C.]

As you see in my earlier post, I have digitized it pretty close. If you need it
for cutting, I can send you the vector file. Corel or AI. PM me if you want it,
no charge.

 

[Jackpine]

That is nice of you to do for them, Steve C.
P.S. The fonts are great!

 

[ENTDesign]

Steve C, thank you for the offer, but I am only trying to determine if this was a replication of a documented lettering style (a better term than font I agree, Bob, but most people are sloppy and use the term font incorrectly, or at least differently now-a-days, and typeface is definitely incorrect for this usage).

Although I have a number of books of lettering styles, most are for caligraphy and I do not have any of the sign related books, so thank you Jillbeans for posting the links.