no. 69
SELECTED BYLOUISE FILISIGNS OF ITALYDESIGNERSUNKNOWN
For years and years, I have been documenting the vernacular signage of Italy. Whenever I travel there, I make a point of going to a city I haven’t yet been to, just to photograph the signs. The mix of Stile Liberty (or Art Nouveau), Art Deco, and post-Fascist lettering; scripts, neon, and hand-painted specimens are a great source of inspiration. The signs are so beautifully rendered as to make all contemporary methods seem inferior.
The signs were made by skilled craftsmen—with emphasis on “men.” No women were employed in this specialist’s profession. They doubtless learned their craft from previous generations. Some garnered their styles from books in which templates for letters provided ...
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