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Lens-Artists Challenge #272 – Billboards and Signs

Maxie’s Hats

This week’s challenge was suggested to me by Charles Chubb. Thanks for the suggestion, Charles. In the 1970s, the sign in the opening image hung on a storefront at 46th Street and Broadway in Times Square, New York. It is an artifact that was on sale at the Mecum Auto Auction in Glendale, Arizona in 2022.

There are signs everywhere, they try to sell us, they can provide information, they can warn us of hazards, they can make us laugh, and they can tug at our emotions. This week’s challenge asks you to share images of signs or billboards that strike your fancy. Finally, for those who don’t make a habit of capturing images of physical signs, consider any photographs of metaphorical signs. I will start with some examples.

The first sign of winter in Utah.

A sign of the change of seasons came early one morning near Bryce Canyon. The day before was cloudy with rain and fog. We were up early to drive to Bryce to capture the morning sunrise. When I stepped outside, I saw the sign that winter was soon upon us.

A sign of the changing times.

My last example of a metaphoric sign is this image of an all-electric Ford Mustang. This car with its 1400 HP electric motor system is a proof of concept for an electric high-performance race car. It reflects a sign of the changing times in personal vehicles.

Burma Shave Signs.

In the mid-1920s, a Minneapolis company came upon the idea of a group of sequential signs they placed along highways. At an automobile museum in South Dakota, a compressed version of these signs, normally placed much further apart, is on display. This example of these small rectangular signs brings back memories for those of a certain age when U.S. highways featured Burma Shave advertisements. In this case, the signs read, “Past the Schoolhouse”, “Take it slow”, “Let the little”, “shavers grow”, and “Burma Shave.” The campaign was a catalyst for the Burma Shave Company and their sales exploded.

A billboard-style mural.

In Siler City, North Carolina, one of the many murals duplicates a historic billboard. Some states have limited, or even forbidden, these larger signs especially in areas with beautiful natural scenery. As one who travels many of the scenic byways of this great country, I am grateful for these regulations that keep America beautiful.

Vintage poster as art.

Posters are popular and are often reproductions of vintage signs. At one restaurant in Dickinson North Dakota, many of the pieces of wall art are reproductions of vintage signs from various attractions and businesses in North Dakota. It was fascinating to see many of these early ads on display. I photographed over half a dozen of them. They were all transferred to a wood backing and finished to protect the surface.

A humorous “Watch your children” notice.

In a small shop, I noticed this sign asking people to keep an eye on their kids. It got the point across without being “preachy.”

Trail signs.

The signs may look like ordinary trail markers to most people, but to me, it’s a special photo. Maricopa Regional Parks has featured a “100 Miles in 100 Days” challenge over the years. This year’s challenge starts on November 1 2023 and continues through February 8, 2024. Lynn and I both met the challenge a couple of seasons in previous years. What makes this photo special to me is that Maricopa County Parks used the image as a background for their certificates. I don’t know if they are still using the image, but I was happy that my own photo graced the certificates we received.

Warning sign on a barge.

Warning signs are not to be ignored. On a trip through the Panama Canal, I happened to notice that we passed a barge at some distance from our ship. I was happy I had a telephoto lens so I didn’t have to get too close to the barge to capture the image.

Wordless sign.

Not all signs need words. The red light in the window of the Brothel Museum above the Red Onion Saloon in Skagway, Alaska tells people what used to go on in the rooms on the second floor above the bar.

A sign to make you think before you drive.

A wrecked car inside this glass-walled trailer and the sign beside it act as a reminder that alcohol and driving don’t mix.

I am looking forward to seeing your challenge response this week. Be sure to tag your post with Lens-Artists so I can find your post in the reader, or put a link to your post in a comment below.

You can view my entire gallery in my Flickr album here. I even have a few more example images in the album. Thanks to Amy for hosting last week’s challenge, “Contrasts”. Next week, it’s Sofia’s turn. If you’d like to join in the challenge, but aren’t sure how to get started, check here.

John Steiner

176 comments

  8. What a great topic, John. You created quite a variety to inspire us. I liked signs of the times. The explosive sign might have been a little disconcerting! Best of all the trail signs and the fact that you both made the challenge and your photo was chosen for the certificates. How cool was that?!!! You’ve inspired me for Wednesday. 🙂

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  9. […] The stories that we tell about where we have gone are also full of uncertainty. We saw two signs at the Chang La, both put up by the same organization, which gave two different heights of the top of the pass. The higher altitude (5360 meters) is borne out by modern GPS measurements. That really makes it the world’s 10th highest pass, and one meter (!) higher than Khardung La. This contradicts all the tourist information that you get about Ladakh (if you are interested then you can read more about this controversy in the Wikipedia article on Khardung La). But is a one meter difference in altitude credible? Although enthusiasts will tell you that a modern phone has this sensitivity (once you take into account Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity), I keep my mind open and only use the two or three most significant digits of these signs. […]

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  12. Great challenge John and your photos are brilliant for this topic. Love the “brothel” no sign – sign! I’ve been through my archives and thought I had many, anyway found a few to be posted shortly.

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  19. Great choice of signs. My favorite is the “Watch the children” notice. I imagine a lot of parents having an anxious chuckle over that one.

    Your photo essay reminds me of the one time I was on an interstate in Vermont, heading north, for a business trip. Our client was driving and at one point, he asked if we noticed anything distinctive about the scenery. At first, I said no, all I saw were trees. Then I realized his point. No billboards. Not a one. I wish that were more common.

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  26. A lovely collection again, John, but I must say that image of the car covered by snow is chilling! Pun intended. If that’s what Utah’s “first sign of winter” looks like I am horrified at what’s waiting for when winter really bites! “Why do people live there!?”, I ask myself…

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    • We lived with snow and frigid winters for forty years, so when we retired, we made it a practice to spend the worst of North Dakota winters in warmer climates. Utah is much more temperate, but not immune from snow. 🙂

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  35. A fantastic challenge John. As I traveled through the reader, I arrived back at you to compliment you on this great inspiration. There has been so much creativity flying off the blogs this week. Well done. As for your own challenge, the red light was a creative look at a signal or sign. And I have to congratulate you on the Maricopa County Park photo. Dale and I have never met that challenge but talk of it. I hiked with a friend a few times last year who was doing it. There is another one I would love….the summit challenge. It is all in one day involves summoning the local hills. Have a good week.

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    • Thanks, Donna! I am happy there have been so many responses. I’ve been really busy reviewing and commenting on all the submissions, and I’ve really been having fun noting the many signs.
      While the 100-mile in 100-day challenge seems daunting, we met the goal by hiking 2-3 miles each hike and three hikes a week. They all had to be done in Maricopa Regional Parks so we spent most of the time in either White Tank or Estrella, but went out and about to visit other parks for variety.

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  38. These are fun! I found your site from Anita, 100 Country Trek. I just saw the sign about unattended children being given puppies and an espresso the other day when I was dying for coffee and wouldn’t have said no to a puppy to cuddle …

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  39. John, John, this was not easy! You showed us so many possibilities, and finally I got a post together. Loved especially the vintage poster and watch your children. As I visited Skagway some weeks ago, I must vote for that one as well – love textless signs. Thank you for hosting – it is fun to see what everyone comes up with. It seems to be easier for others than me!

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      • I agree – so many different signs, and so many never seen before! I bet if we looked at signs in different countries or parts of the country, we would learn to recognise and be able to pick out where they came from.

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