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They are called Ghost Signs, Ghost Ads, Fading Ads or Brick Ads and were used between the 1890's to the 1960's, hitting their peak in the decades before the Great Depression. “Ghost Signs” are the faded historical advertising signs painted on the brick walls of old buildings. This form of advertising was used around the world and examples still exist today in the United States, Canada, Great Britain and France.
As was common practice, a company would agree to paint the name of the building's tenants, in this case Dudley Hoskins Mens Wear, in exchange for the "privilege" of advertising their product, in this case Coca Cola, on the building's wall.
Some wall signs were purely local productions using only the advertising of the establishment itself and done by a painter who lived and worked within the surrounding area.
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Those who painted for major companies were called "wall dogs" and they were both quite talented and fast in their execution. These men had a roaming lifestyle as they traveled from town to town and often into the countryside where their work would adorn barns as well. Mail Pouch Tobacco was one of the most common advertising seen on the barns.
Many signs were painted with colors mixed with white lead, linseed oil, dryers and pigments which is why those signs still show their colors after all these years.
This paragraph was taken from A Short Oral History From A Real-Life "Wall Dog":
We worked where the signs took us, whether twenty stories in the air or six feet off the ground. Rain, snow or sunshine never seemed to be a factor, just get the job done. The knowledge we learned in the business was handed down through generations,one sign man to another. Layout, lettering skills, font types and art skill were just a few of the factors that made a good sign person. A small percentage of us had formal schooling on the subject but many had the art skill to begin with. The rest came from working with the pros. Some of the best artists and advertising people have been sign people; we were called upon to create and execute the best advertisement possible for the client. Hence, our well-honed skills.
Some of the old signs have been repainted, but often the color and charm of the original does not come through. It seems that Coca Cola signs are a favorite for restoring.
Some cities have set up a Ghost Sign Projects in hopes of preserving these historical treasures. There are web sites, campaigns, blogs and books devoted to this fading advertising.