[Bespoke Tailoring for Ladies and Gentlemen]
Location: Talstraße, Meissen, Sachsen / Pictures taken on: 20/12/2009
Showing posts sorted by date for query meissen. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query meissen. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Wednesday, 13 July 2011
Tailor, Meissen
While the previous sign seen along Talstraße in Meissen was a really amazing palimpsest, this one is much simpler. It certainly dates from the late GDR period.
Damen u. Herrenmaßschneiderei
[Bespoke Tailoring for Ladies and Gentlemen]
Location: Talstraße, Meissen, Sachsen / Pictures taken on: 20/12/2009
[Bespoke Tailoring for Ladies and Gentlemen]
Location: Talstraße, Meissen, Sachsen / Pictures taken on: 20/12/2009
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Bakery, Meissen
A rather unusual lettering (even by German standards) was chosen for Hartwig Adam's bakery in Meissen. A signature in a corner informs us this sign was painted by Hasche but I haven't found any information about him or her.
Bäckerei
H. Adam
Location: Neumarkt, Meissen, Sachsen / Pictures taken on: 20/12/2009
H. Adam
Location: Neumarkt, Meissen, Sachsen / Pictures taken on: 20/12/2009
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
Post 333: ten of my favourite ghost signs
To mark my 333rd post, here is a selection of some of my favourite ghost signs, taken from the ones already presented on this blog. I must admit, even if I am particularly fond of some, this isn't an easy exercise and the list keeps on changing regularly. Click on the pictures below to visit the relevant posts and read more about each sign.
- The building at the corner of San Ignacio and Obrapía in Havana for the design of its different adverts, especially the Enxebre one, and what these signs tell us about Cuban society before 1959. Always tops my list.
- Bryant & May, Croydon, for its colours and the fine drawing of the swan on the match box.
- Peterkin's Custard, Clapham Junction, for the unique drawing of the cheeky-looking kid (but certainly not for the product itself, according to testimonies given at the 1926 trial).
- The Swan Hotel, Bradford-on-Avon, for its elaborate lettering.
- 2 Little Crown, Soho, for the drawings and what it tells us about the history of that part of London.
- Hairdressing salon, Meissen, for the attractive early 20th century lettering on blue background and the unusual Puppenarbeiten.
- George Clark & Son's Breakfast Food, Mornington Crescent, for the challenge of identifying the product advertised there.
- Dubonnet, Chanier, a French classic, for the ability of the sign writer to paint an advert on a surface as uneven as rubble stones.
- The Temperance Permanent Building Society, Richmond and Lewisham, for the drawing of the house as well as the significance of suburbia and the importance of the co-operative movement in 20th century Britain.
- Unión de Jóvenes Comunistas, Havana, for the omnipresence and role of political propaganda in Cuba.
Let me know what you think of that selection. Which ones would you have included?
- The building at the corner of San Ignacio and Obrapía in Havana for the design of its different adverts, especially the Enxebre one, and what these signs tell us about Cuban society before 1959. Always tops my list.
- Bryant & May, Croydon, for its colours and the fine drawing of the swan on the match box.
- Peterkin's Custard, Clapham Junction, for the unique drawing of the cheeky-looking kid (but certainly not for the product itself, according to testimonies given at the 1926 trial).
- The Swan Hotel, Bradford-on-Avon, for its elaborate lettering.
- 2 Little Crown, Soho, for the drawings and what it tells us about the history of that part of London.
- Hairdressing salon, Meissen, for the attractive early 20th century lettering on blue background and the unusual Puppenarbeiten.
- George Clark & Son's Breakfast Food, Mornington Crescent, for the challenge of identifying the product advertised there.
- Dubonnet, Chanier, a French classic, for the ability of the sign writer to paint an advert on a surface as uneven as rubble stones.
- The Temperance Permanent Building Society, Richmond and Lewisham, for the drawing of the house as well as the significance of suburbia and the importance of the co-operative movement in 20th century Britain.
- Unión de Jóvenes Comunistas, Havana, for the omnipresence and role of political propaganda in Cuba.
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Let me know what you think of that selection. Which ones would you have included?
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
Hairdresser, Meissen
Some time ago, I mentioned that Meissen had a wide range of ghost signs. Still so far I've posted only one. It's about time I correct this with a wonderful example spotted in a street full of them.
After the hairdressing salon closed, a company specialized in teaching material moved in. Originally a Kommanditgesellschaft (KG - limited company), it became during the former German Democratic Republic period a Volkseigener Betrieb (VEB - People-owned enterprise). The premises seem to have been empty since the collapse of the GDR.
Herren- u. Damen-Frisir-Salon [Men and Women Hairdressing Salon]
The part underneath was painted three times. The more recent layer reads
The rather unusual Puppenarbeiten must be replaced in the context of the late nineteenth-early twentieth century, when dolls' hair would have been made of human hair. Given the cost of some dolls, especially porcelain ones, a visit to the hairdresser's is something some middle-class families might have considered to keep their prized possessions in a good state.
Location: Talstraße, Meissen, Sachsen / Pictures taken on: 20/12/2009
After the hairdressing salon closed, a company specialized in teaching material moved in. Originally a Kommanditgesellschaft (KG - limited company), it became during the former German Democratic Republic period a Volkseigener Betrieb (VEB - People-owned enterprise). The premises seem to have been empty since the collapse of the GDR.
The part underneath was painted three times. The more recent layer reads
| VEB Lehrmittel Meissen | VEB Teaching Material Meissen |
| Lehrmittel ... ... Krause KG | Teaching Material ... ... Krause Ltd |
| Parfümerien Toilette Artikel Haarpflege | Perfumes Toiletries Hair Care |
| Kopfwäsche für Damen Separat Puppenarbeite | Separate Hair Washing for Ladies Dolls Maintenance |
The rather unusual Puppenarbeiten must be replaced in the context of the late nineteenth-early twentieth century, when dolls' hair would have been made of human hair. Given the cost of some dolls, especially porcelain ones, a visit to the hairdresser's is something some middle-class families might have considered to keep their prized possessions in a good state.
Location: Talstraße, Meissen, Sachsen / Pictures taken on: 20/12/2009
Monday, 22 February 2010
Zur Erholung, Meissen
For a city of 30,000 inhabitants, Meissen has an incredible amount of painted signs. Most of them can be found outside the city centre, on buildings that haven't been renovated - or demolished - yet. Below is such a sign. Originally a hotel or guest house, Zur Erholung has been empty for years and faces an uncertain future.
Zur Erholung
[roughly At the Rest House]
Erholung can mean 'rest', 'relaxation' or 'vacation'. It can also have the meaning of 'recovery' or 'convalescence'. All words that almost always imply a certain degree of tranquility. Given that this hotel stood next to a railway track, I doubt it was something its owners could guarantee. At least, from some of the windows there was a stunning view over the roofs of the city towards the cathedral and the Albrechtsburg.
Location: Plossenweg, Meissen, Sachsen / Picture take on: 20/12/2009
[roughly At the Rest House]
Erholung can mean 'rest', 'relaxation' or 'vacation'. It can also have the meaning of 'recovery' or 'convalescence'. All words that almost always imply a certain degree of tranquility. Given that this hotel stood next to a railway track, I doubt it was something its owners could guarantee. At least, from some of the windows there was a stunning view over the roofs of the city towards the cathedral and the Albrechtsburg.
Location: Plossenweg, Meissen, Sachsen / Picture take on: 20/12/2009
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
Otto Born's Weinstuben, Meissen
Somehow two of the signs I posted lately had something to do with wine and spirits, and so does the first mosaic of 2010. Maybe it is a secondary effect of the glass of Port I've been enjoying over the past couple of evenings to fight a cold? (when I was around ten years old I had a bad cold. Our doctor came to visit me, prescribed a couple of tablets and added I should be given a freshly pressed orange juice in the morning and a glass of Port or Sauternes -a lovely sweet wine wine- in the evening).
Anyway, doorstep mosaics are pretty rare in Germany, at least in the eastern part. That's why I was happy to find this one when my in-laws took me to Meissen during our Christmas holidays. It is an appropriate one as well as the town, which is famous around the world for its elaborate porcelain, is right in the Elbe Valley wine region. The vineyards, planted on hills overlooking the river, stretch from Pillnitz, near Dresden, to Diesbar-Seußlitz, north of Meissen and cover an area of around 450 ha, making the wine region one of Europe's smallest and northernmost. Winemaking in that part of Saxony was first mentioned in the 929 Chronicle of Bishop Thiedmar von Merseburg. As for the vineyards on the hills opposite the castle of Meissen, they first appear in an official document from 1161. Needless to say this wine bar is much more recent but I wouldn't be able to date it. The use of the possessive apostrophe is certainly unusual.
Otto Born's
Weinstuben
Location: Elbstraße, Meißen, Sachsen / Picture taken on: 20/12/2009
Anyway, doorstep mosaics are pretty rare in Germany, at least in the eastern part. That's why I was happy to find this one when my in-laws took me to Meissen during our Christmas holidays. It is an appropriate one as well as the town, which is famous around the world for its elaborate porcelain, is right in the Elbe Valley wine region. The vineyards, planted on hills overlooking the river, stretch from Pillnitz, near Dresden, to Diesbar-Seußlitz, north of Meissen and cover an area of around 450 ha, making the wine region one of Europe's smallest and northernmost. Winemaking in that part of Saxony was first mentioned in the 929 Chronicle of Bishop Thiedmar von Merseburg. As for the vineyards on the hills opposite the castle of Meissen, they first appear in an official document from 1161. Needless to say this wine bar is much more recent but I wouldn't be able to date it. The use of the possessive apostrophe is certainly unusual.
Weinstuben
Location: Elbstraße, Meißen, Sachsen / Picture taken on: 20/12/2009
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
Rand & Son, Lymington
After weeks of interruption it is now time to bring this blog back to life with a picture taken on a lovely and warm day spent enjoying autumnal colours in the New Forest and a bit of fresh sea air in Lymington. While walking through the centre of the little town I spotted several painted signs including this large one for a local draper.
Rand & Son
General Drapers
Ladies & Children
Outfitters
Speciality
Dress
Materials
Traces of an earlier sign can still be spotted....
General
Draper
Warehouse
...y
Mantles
...
...es
Location: High Street, Lymington, Hampshire / Picture taken on: 17/10/2009
While visiting Dresden, Meissen and a few other places in Saxony over the Christmas period, and looking at their wonderful medieval, baroque and Art Nouveau (or rather Jugendstil) architecure, I came across around sixty ghost signs. In many cases only the name and nature of the business was written above the door and front windows, but a couple were a bit more elaborate. I shall post some at a later date...
General Drapers
Ladies & Children
Outfitters
Speciality
Dress
Materials
Traces of an earlier sign can still be spotted.
General
Draper
Warehouse
...y
Mantles
...
...es
Location: High Street, Lymington, Hampshire / Picture taken on: 17/10/2009
While visiting Dresden, Meissen and a few other places in Saxony over the Christmas period, and looking at their wonderful medieval, baroque and Art Nouveau (or rather Jugendstil) architecure, I came across around sixty ghost signs. In many cases only the name and nature of the business was written above the door and front windows, but a couple were a bit more elaborate. I shall post some at a later date...
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