Old sign

[Colin]

I was in Seattle this weekend and spotted some old signs down at Pike Place Market......

It's hard to see in the picture, but the word "Quality" was done in an intentional washed-out sort-of look with a thin black pen-line in the middle.


Era?

 

[SignosaurusRex]

Ahhhhh yes....the Public Market....great place! I can't say for sure but I'm guessing that the sign was done in the late '50s or early "60s by either Foley Sign, Messenger Sign or Corey Sign although it may have been done by one of the other few that were big "main stream" in the area at that time or one of their "Snappers". I remember that sign as is since I was a youngster. That period was a real "Hay-Day" so to speak for the sign industry and its tradesmen. Many sign artists of that period, while working in union shops also "Snapped" alot of side work and made a very good name for themselves. A couple of them are still around today...some still painting signs the old fashioned way, some retired and taking life easy. I'm sure that you gathered quite a nice collection of photos of signage while here. You certainly were in the right part of town for it.
Colin, It would have been nice to meet you while you were in town. I could have given you a bit of a tour through Seattle and shown you some of its finest vintage signage along with some of their history and interesting details. If you return, I'd enjoy meeting you.

 

[Dave Drane]

Ugly as sin, but pure eye candy!! I wish we were doing signs like that again.

 

[Jillbeans]

I love stuff like that.
Thanks for the pic!
I always like to look for old signs.
They are not always what we would call a perfect layout, but they have a snap and charm that signs today seem to lack.
And most are very legible.
Love....Jill

 

[k.a.s.]

I love old signs, thanks for posting.

kevin

 

[Colin]

These are the only other signs I snapped a picture of:

 

[Replicator]

Ivar's has great Fish and Chips . . . !

 

[Gino]

Ya know.... that could be a neat category if we could start some sort of an 'Old Sign Thread'.

No fighting or calling each other names. Just uploading pictures that are at least 30 or more years old with as much information as is known.

 

[Colin]

Oh, and here's a picture of a picture of the Market area from 1910:

 

[Colin]

I lied............here's one more:

 

[Colin]

Thanks for all the info on the first image S-Rex, it's neat to think that those signs have been in place all those years. The freedom from UV exposure is likely why they have lasted so long.

This trip was a marathon of various activities, but I'll let you know the next time I'm down. We went to Jazz Alley Sunday night and heard Spyro Gyra! I've been wanting to go there for 20 years.

Le Pechet is a great little eatery - went there twice. Shopped too much; Took in the bike show; Trader Joes for various things like red wine, which is half the price in the States; Woodland Park Zoo (to visit some relatives - ha-ha); Pacific Science Center (butterfly exhibit); Space Needle. All that in 2 days! As I normally don't do a lot of walking, my legs are cooked.

 

[iSign]

This trip was a marathon of various activities...
...Woodland Park Zoo (to visit some relatives - ha-ha);

:ROFLMAO::HAHAHAHA classic comment Colin! You're nothing if not consistent!

 

[Colin]

^^^ Ya, you know...............the in-laws.

 

[SignosaurusRex]

Here's one you may have seen when you were here Colin. It's just south of the Public Market. I'm told that this place dates back to the gold rush days and just recently closed. Last time I went past, the signs were still there.

 

[Colin]

Cool. I don't remember that one for sure, but maybe; is it right at Pioneer Square?

 

[SignosaurusRex]

Cool. I don't remember that one for sure, but maybe; is it right at Pioneer Square?

Yep. Lots of cool old signs and advertising walls down in that area. Many are in back alley ways and in spots that many people don't even look.

 

[N2Harpz]

I was in Seattle last June. I remember those old signs in the market place. My friends were checking out the Market and I was checkin out the signs.

I would have LOVED living in that era and learning from the Masters.

Thanks for the History Lesson ... SignosaurusRex

 

[nodrenim]

You sure can tell that they didn't use computers back then. Can you imagine that store front with interior illumination? I would like to see more of these old signs. Gone but not forgotten.

 

[SignosaurusRex]

I don't know if this one is still around but the company that did it is.

 

[N2Harpz]

We have a few old ones in our town like that .... Now those were signs at their best.

I watched a guy paint the side of the corner grocery store with a 7up ad when I was a kid. The bottle and everything took around three days.

How did they ever lay those out ?