Ghost Signs (Australia) is a website project that aims to catalogue ghost signs throughout Australia.
A ghost sign is a hand-painted advertising sign that has been preserved on a building for an extended period of time.
History and preservation
Ghost signs are found around the world as well as Australia.
Ghost signs are also known as ‘fading ads’ and sometimes ‘brickads’. In many cases these are advertisements painted onto brick.
Many of the advertisements are discovered after the demolition of an adjoining building that had not been there when the advertisement was originally pained.
Throughout rural areas, old barn advertisements continue to promote defunct brands and quaint roadside attractions.
Ghost signs in Australia can be dated as far back as the 1880’s. The painters of the signs were called “wall dogs”.
Ghost Signs Australia
Ghost Signs (Australia) is a website project that aims to catalogue ghost signs throughout Australia.
Readers are invited to actively participate by contributing to the Australian archive.
ghostsigns.com.au is managed by a senior editor with the handle, Federici*.
*At one time this word was “protect” but realistically the project is unable to protect signs other than to draw interest to them in hope that they may be protected.
Website: ghostsigns.com.au
URL: ghostsigns.com.au
Established: 2012
Publisher: Ripefruit Media
BOOK
Melbourne Ghost Signs by Sean Reynolds
