Please join RHSV Councillors, staff, volunteers, members and friends in launching Melbourne Ghost Signs, written and illustrated by Sean Reynolds, our very own Marketing Officer.

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.

Sean Reynolds originally hails from Illinois, and through leading marketing campaigns for television shows like Ellen and TMZ has twice been nominated for an Emmy. He moved to Melbourne in 2015 and now works for the Royal Historical Society of Victoria. In his spare time, he’s made it his mission to document this city’s historical significance through old ads and signage. You can follow him on Instagram: @melbourne_ghostsigns

Housekeeping

This event is in-person only – it will not be recorded or available via Zoom.

As with most RHSV events refreshments will be served.

This is a History Month event. Please click on the logo for the full program.