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Melbourne Ghost Signs
A beguiling photographic collection of the faded signs and half-hidden logos of Melbourne, revealing the historic tales — big and small — of this ever-changing city.
From the gold-rush years to the Swinging Sixties, from Robur Tea to Tarax soft drinks, this city can never settle. In a process of continual renewal, old buildings are incorporated into new, both uncovering and obscuring snippets of history. Ghost signs provide hints to our common heritage, ready to be picked up by the keen eye and quick shutter.
Sean Reynolds, a transplanted American, first became fascinated by these old signs while walking in Yarraville and Footscray with his young daughter during their daily lockdown outings. He loved the hand-painted letters, the intricate glasswork, and the old factories marketing brands he’d never heard of before: big names like Uncle Tobys and Four’n Twenty, but also smaller ones, no less important, like ‘Miss Watson’s Motor Garage’ or the ‘St Kilda Coffee Palace’.
Join him in a tour of fascinating photos — sometimes nostalgic, sometimes gaudy — and the stories behind them — variously delightful, heroic, and tragic. Find the cities behind the city you thought you knew, one ghost sign at a time.
From the gold-rush years to the Swinging Sixties, from Robur Tea to Tarax soft drinks, this city can never settle. In a process of continual renewal, old buildings are incorporated into new, both uncovering and obscuring snippets of history. Ghost signs provide hints to our common heritage, ready to be picked up by the keen eye and quick shutter.
Sean Reynolds, a transplanted American, first became fascinated by these old signs while walking in Yarraville and Footscray with his young daughter during their daily lockdown outings. He loved the hand-painted letters, the intricate glasswork, and the old factories marketing brands he’d never heard of before: big names like Uncle Tobys and Four’n Twenty, but also smaller ones, no less important, like ‘Miss Watson’s Motor Garage’ or the ‘St Kilda Coffee Palace’.
Join him in a tour of fascinating photos — sometimes nostalgic, sometimes gaudy — and the stories behind them — variously delightful, heroic, and tragic. Find the cities behind the city you thought you knew, one ghost sign at a time.
- GenresArt History
176 pages, Hardcover
First published October 29, 2024
12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 2, 2024
For those that don't know, a ghost sign is a hand painted advertisement on a building from the past that can still be seen today. Sometimes they're rediscovered during renovations or the demolition of an adjacent building. Appearing like a ghost from the past, they're often covered again when a new development is erected, giving us a short lived glimpse into our social history. Other ghost signs have been preserved and have managed to survive decades in the harsh Australian climate.
Hailing from Illinois, Sean Reynolds moved to Melbourne in 2015 and works for the Royal Historical Society of Victoria. During lockdown, Reynolds started to become interested in ghost signs on his daily walks with his daughter and Melbourne Ghost Signs contains the photographs he took all over Melbourne. Helpfully broken down into chapters entitled: Central Business District, West, South, East and North, the reader can jump straight to their part of town or read the book cover to cover.
The hardback is equal parts photography and history lesson, as the author does a deep dive on the property photographed, the business or product being advertised and often the business owners. Deploying a light sense of humour and an abundance of puns, Reynolds is able to conjure a sense of nostalgia as he delves into the history. Here's an example from a property in Victoria Street Footscray, where a 70 year old ad for Cinzano can still be seen.
"But wait, there's more! The building's three younger siblings, each with its own enchanting tale, add to the corner's allure: one, a former abode of Wesdan Electrical; another, a once-upon-a-time children's library turned milk bar; while the third, now emblazoned with 'D.P. Automotive Services', has donned many hats - from tailoring to boot repairs, before revving up as an automotive service shop." Page 50
During my time as Secretary for the Southbank Residents Association, The Tea House in Southbank was a hotly contested site for development. Reynolds tells us it was the heart of the Robur tea empire and opened for business in 1905. Outdoor painted advertisements for Robur Tea soon popped up everywhere, however Robur Tea was purchased by Tetley in 1974. The author points out many faded Robur signs throughout this book, and his love for the brand runs so deep he has a Robur teapot tattoo on his bicep!
Despite the relative seriousness of vanishing and reemerging heritage, facadism, ghost signs and history, the author uses clever puns throughout and has a relatable sense of humour. I smiled to myself seeing his reflection in a few of the photos and wish I could help him fulfil his unquenchable desire to taste a Tarax soft drink.
This location in West Melbourne was full of mouth watering puns to die for, here's a taste:
"The biscuit empire of T.B. Guest & Co. sprawled like a sugary Roman Empire, conquering palates and crushing competitors with the might of a thousand ovens." Page 47
Jokes aside, I would have liked for each photograph to have a date credited, as some of the ghost signs have since been covered up. And while each location has a street name and suburb attributed, I also wished the street number was included. This would have enhanced the reading experience and enabled the motivated reader to visit the site via Google Maps street view or do a drive by.
Melbourne Ghost Signs by Sean Reynolds is a terrific trip down memory lane and will appeal to readers who enjoyed Old Vintage Melbourne and Old Vintage Melbourne 1960 - 1990 by Chris Macheras (also published by Scribe Publications) or Adrift in Melbourne and Corners of Melbourne by Robyn Annear. You can also check out some of the author's photographs on Instagram.
Since finishing Melbourne Ghost Signs, I've noticed a lot more ghost signs around the city and I hope to track some down from the book over the summer.
* Signed copy courtesy of Scribe Publications *
Hailing from Illinois, Sean Reynolds moved to Melbourne in 2015 and works for the Royal Historical Society of Victoria. During lockdown, Reynolds started to become interested in ghost signs on his daily walks with his daughter and Melbourne Ghost Signs contains the photographs he took all over Melbourne. Helpfully broken down into chapters entitled: Central Business District, West, South, East and North, the reader can jump straight to their part of town or read the book cover to cover.
The hardback is equal parts photography and history lesson, as the author does a deep dive on the property photographed, the business or product being advertised and often the business owners. Deploying a light sense of humour and an abundance of puns, Reynolds is able to conjure a sense of nostalgia as he delves into the history. Here's an example from a property in Victoria Street Footscray, where a 70 year old ad for Cinzano can still be seen.
"But wait, there's more! The building's three younger siblings, each with its own enchanting tale, add to the corner's allure: one, a former abode of Wesdan Electrical; another, a once-upon-a-time children's library turned milk bar; while the third, now emblazoned with 'D.P. Automotive Services', has donned many hats - from tailoring to boot repairs, before revving up as an automotive service shop." Page 50
During my time as Secretary for the Southbank Residents Association, The Tea House in Southbank was a hotly contested site for development. Reynolds tells us it was the heart of the Robur tea empire and opened for business in 1905. Outdoor painted advertisements for Robur Tea soon popped up everywhere, however Robur Tea was purchased by Tetley in 1974. The author points out many faded Robur signs throughout this book, and his love for the brand runs so deep he has a Robur teapot tattoo on his bicep!
Despite the relative seriousness of vanishing and reemerging heritage, facadism, ghost signs and history, the author uses clever puns throughout and has a relatable sense of humour. I smiled to myself seeing his reflection in a few of the photos and wish I could help him fulfil his unquenchable desire to taste a Tarax soft drink.
This location in West Melbourne was full of mouth watering puns to die for, here's a taste:
"The biscuit empire of T.B. Guest & Co. sprawled like a sugary Roman Empire, conquering palates and crushing competitors with the might of a thousand ovens." Page 47
Jokes aside, I would have liked for each photograph to have a date credited, as some of the ghost signs have since been covered up. And while each location has a street name and suburb attributed, I also wished the street number was included. This would have enhanced the reading experience and enabled the motivated reader to visit the site via Google Maps street view or do a drive by.
Melbourne Ghost Signs by Sean Reynolds is a terrific trip down memory lane and will appeal to readers who enjoyed Old Vintage Melbourne and Old Vintage Melbourne 1960 - 1990 by Chris Macheras (also published by Scribe Publications) or Adrift in Melbourne and Corners of Melbourne by Robyn Annear. You can also check out some of the author's photographs on Instagram.
Since finishing Melbourne Ghost Signs, I've noticed a lot more ghost signs around the city and I hope to track some down from the book over the summer.
* Signed copy courtesy of Scribe Publications *
January 11, 2025
As a Melbournian with a love of history and architecture, I enjoyed recognising many of the buildings and signs in the book (many in my own backyard). It was wonderful to get some historical background about many of the signs I had passed during my long inner-city walks during the longest Covid lockdown in the world.
March 12, 2025
This is a fascinating little collection of photos and anecdotes from the author that delves into the past of Melbourne, both in advertising and its colourful characters. The history is interesting, covering the rise and fall of brands (Robur Tea) as well as the rise and fall of families.
A great read.
A great read.
January 5, 2025
A fascinating photo journal of old advertising signage still visible on various Melbourne buildings.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews