My ghost signs talk this Saturday at Public Records Office Victoria, and article in this week's Beat Magazine

This Saturday I'll be talking at PROV about Lewis & Skinner, ghost signs and accessing public records to research them.You can book here (it's free):

https://register.eventarc.com/29643/dig-the-archives-2015-ghosts-from-the-open-archive

Theme of the day will be Robur Tea :)

And here's an article from the street press about the talk:

http://issuu.com/furstmedia/docs/beat1471/44?e=4239323%2F12550473

Great Facebook collection of Melbourne ghost signs by Stephen Beaumont

Check out this album of 400+ ghost signs snaps - some beauties in there....

https://www.facebook.com/buff.goldenrod/media_set?set=a.10150309507238563.360059.573178562&type=1&pnref=story

This blog racks up 30,000 reads - plus info on forthcoming archival talk

Well, this blog has got around a bit of late - nice to see that it's generated a comfortable 30k reads in its three years, especially given that it's about such a 'niche' area of interest. A big thanks to those people who have taken a look, shared posts, supplied me with ghost sign pics and commented.

Also, I'm doing a talk at Public Records Office Victoria (PROV)'s Victorian Archives Open Day on May 2. The day will feature a range of great practical archival workshops and talks: http://prov.vic.gov.au/dig-the-archives

I'll be discussing ghost signs, open digital archives and how we’ve used PROV records to find out more about rescued signwriting documents. If anyone you know might be interested, the booking details are here:

https://register.eventarc.com/29643/dig-the-archives-2015-ghosts-from-the-open-archive

Here, there and everywhere - a few ghost signs sent to me by other fine folk

Here's a motley collection of signs sent to me over the last month or so :)

From Lyndel...this one's in Camberwell

From Mark at the Black Mark blog - prohibition, gambling and religious portent, all on a Brunswick train station fence: http://melbourneartcritic.com/2015/03/30/neighbourhood/. Two more below:

From Emily in regional Warrnambool - a touch of 1970s glam and, er, brown

From Dean - Horticultural Hall in central Melbourne

And from Leisa, currently in Paris - a couple of pics of an exquisite sign series

The Angie's List building in Indianapolis - signs galore

The Angie's List online listings business has been in the news in the last few days for its resistance to the atrocious and unbelievable new anti-gay "Religious Freedom Restoration Act" in Indiana.

As a result, the Indianapolis HQ of the company has featured in the reporting. The company is located in an old building that happens to sport a wall of brilliant ghost signs. Without wanting to diminish the seriousness of the issue, here are a few photos I've found of the wall, in East Washington Street. It features a Quaker oats sign and a superb illustration of a bee as part of a candy manufacturer ad (links to sources are below):

https://cdanews.com/2015/03/angies-list-takes-stand-against-indiana-anti-gay-law/

http://www.indystar.com/story/money/2015/03/28/angies-list-canceling-eastside-expansion-rfra/70590738/

http://www.ijreview.com/2015/03/282898-fight-angies-list-halts-expansion-indianapolis-hq-states-new-religious-freedom-law/

http://www.dallasvoice.com/angies-list-delays-plans-expansion-indianapolis-seattle-mayor-bans-city-employees-traveling-indiana-10192767.html

A few from the wild north

Such a beautiful day today - perfect for a ride around the working-class, multicultural hubs of Broadmeadows and Glenroy.

And yes, a few latter-era signs were found.

Firstly, Olsen Place in Broadmeadows. These days it's an almost entirely Middle Eastern shopping strip, but once it looked like this (thanks to this pic from the State Library of Victoria):

Today, a few traces stubbornly cling on:

One near the Broady station:

Next, Glenroy:

Fawkner:

 ...and back in Reservoir:

And then there was yesterday - a great former trailer manufacturer in Lalor:

Plus earlier, a visit to the bike shop. The window had this poster - ghost signs hitting the mainstream:

Another fab uncovering - this time in Brunswick East

Yesterday someone posted a pic of a fabulous Mobiloil and Dunlop duo on the Lost Melbourne Facebook page. I did some online sleuthing today and found out it was in Lygon Street, East Brunswick - fittingly right in the retro-hipster epicentre of the north.

Then the master photographer of Melbourne's ghost signs, John Hunter, (http://johnhunter2008.jalbum.net/) took over and located the spot: right next door to the former East Brunswick Club, where I used to see some great gigs before the usual thing happened: redevelopment into apartments.  Hence the uncovering,

So tonight I went there on the way home, hopped over the cyclone fence, and took some pics. Since the original photos were taken, the Dunlop sign's been tagged (rather nicely, in my view) but the rest of this understated but lovely wall of signs is still there:

 

 

And lastly, a fragment on the other (pub) side: