They are garish, faded relics of a time gone by: the towering electrified signs signalling motels, diners, stores and bowling alleys that sprang up across the US in the 20th century.
As car culture boomed, brightly lit signs became the advertising method of choice for roadside businesses, with bold colours and cartoon-like graphics competing to grab the attention of passing drivers.
Many are now under threat, either too expensive to maintain, destroyed by bad weather or torn down for new developments. However, a passionate following of vintage sign enthusiasts has evolved, with thousands of photos on Instagram using hashtags such as #signhunters, #signmongers and #signspotters. Popular accounts include @everything_signage, whose team of curators shares its favourites with 16,000 followers.
The first commercial electric signs used incandescent bulbs, before neon became popular in the 1940s and 50s, and their potential demise has prompted local movements to fight to preserve them as valuable parts of urban architectural history. The San Jose Signs Project, for example, aims to “get the city to acknowledge vintage signs as significant historic resources”. And Debra Jane Seltzer, who has spent 20 years documenting vintage signs in an extensive collection of more than 60,000 photographs on her website Roadside Architecture, says some cities are building sign parks, as a way of conserving them.
Below is a selection shared by Instagram’s #signhunters.
Guardian Cities brings together the best in urban photography on Instagram at @guardiancities. Share your shots with us on Instagram with the hashtag #guardiancities
