Neon’s vogue was brief, however, reaching its height in the 1930s. In some ways, it was a victim of its own success. Perceived at first as a symbol of prosperity and security, neon’s ubiquity soon began to suggest a society devoted to “surface” and “spectacle.” Theodor Adorno thought neon emblematic of the mass production of experience and presented art as the antidote: “The more the all-powerful culture industry seizes for its own purposes the principle of illumination and corrupts it in the treatment of men for the benefit of the perduring darkness,” he writes in ”The Philosophy of New Music,” “all the more does art rise against this false luminosity.” For Adorno and others, neon was a symbol of false enlightenment and the reduction of the modern world to mass-produced commodities — although, ironically, neon itself was an artisanal product, handcrafted in individual workshops. At the peak of its popularity, there were over 5,000 neon workshops throughout the United States.
But for many, neon signs indicated not just products, but possibility. Nowhere was this more apparent than in Las Vegas, where neon routinely transformed the prosaic into the fantastic. Almost every surface emanated something tempting and improbable, suggesting the unlikely existence of the city itself. Neon “set the city ablaze,” in Ribbat’s words, making it into an enticing mirage in the desert of American culture, inviting irony and interpretation. An account of a trip a group of Yale students made to Las Vegas in 1968, “Learning from Las Vegas,” published in 1972, caused a worldwide reassessment of the city’s landscape. They highlighted the artistry involved in making neon signs, comparing Las Vegas to both Versailles and Rome. Neon, for these scholars, represented a rejection of a culturally determined sense of what is good and beautiful, and an invitation to find significance in the formerly negligible and sordid.
Today’s remarkable find is this OLD Pontiac Porcelain Dealership Neon Sign.
Yes, that’s right. A neon sign from a forgotten era, advertising a Pontiac Car dealership. If you are scratching your head right about now, the listing tells us a little about what it calls the “Holy Grail of Pontiac neon signs”:
“This old porcelain Pontiac neon dealership sign is 100% original with NO RESTORATION or TOUCH UP and NO CLEAR COAT ever and is the rare version with double stroke neon Pontiac wording with full horizontal and bull nose neon. This is the finest in original condition I have ever seen anywhere. Displays 9.5+ on both sides. Beautiful day one color with super high gloss. This is the Holy Grail of Pontiac neon signs. This one still has its all original cabinet and mounting hardware from day one and in very high grade condition”
It seems many people agree with the seller’s assessment, as the price for this sign is an astronomical $21,100! With 25 bids, it is indeed a very popular item, and the bidding isn’t over yet, nor has the reserve price been met.
In the interest of finding out more about these kinds of signs, we turned to the recently relaunched eBay Guides. The eBay buying guides are a place where both experts at eBay and our expert eBay shoppers write about their areas of specialization and interest. A search on “signs” returned an Automobilia Buying Guide link, which contained a lot of helpful information, but nothing about the Pontiac sign.
Searches further afield revealed little about this particular sign. This provides us with a huge conundrum, since we know this item is of interest to many people, and yet don’t know enough about it to give you a good idea as to why it is so valuable (although we have to say, it would look classy in our billiards room).
We did locate an article by Dave Margulius, writing for Collectors Weekly, on The Disappearing Art of Porcelain Signs. He interviews Michael Bruner, the author of the book Signs of Our Past: Porcelain Enamel Advertising in America. Bruner explains that the longevity of porcelain signs made them a cost-effective way for companies to advertise their products. “Ultimately however the cost killed porcelain sign making. It’s labor intensive compared to paint or silkscreen on thin metal. You can’t take a piece of chintzy metal and put porcelain enamel on it. You’ve got to have something substantial or it’ll just fall apart when it’s being fired.”
Last fall, Kirsten Hively launched a free iPhone app called Project Neon, which allows users to locate, rate, and learn a little of the personal history of 120 New York signs. But the rising neon nostalgia isn’t limited to the Big Apple. A month ago, the Neon Museum, which preserves and showcases the spectacular animated neon casino signs from the mid-century Las Vegas strip, finally opened its doors after 16 years of planning.
We talked to Hively, an architect by trade who started snapping photos of classic New York neon signs two years ago this December. In the following year, she launched her Project Neon blog, a Google map, and a Kickstarter that raised more than $5,000 for her app. She explained why neon signs have such an irresistible allure that she’s felt compelled to photograph more than 800 so far.
(via Neon Lost and Found: Where New York City Still Burns Bright | Collectors Weekly)
Neon Museum, Las Vegas
Ever wonder what happens to all those neon signs that line the Las Vegas Strip when they’re taken down? They end up at the Neon Museum! The Neon Museum is a non-profit in Las Vegas dedicating to preserving Las Vegas’s iconic art form, and it’s a must-visit spot for great Instagram photos!
Photos by @logos728, @sv1, @40_in, @karaannbanana, @petitserif, @rockstarmomlv, @labeaufrand, @alphabetarm, @cshimala, @robgwilson, @toomuchfire, @apocryphanow, @mygulrealsun & @li150girl.
The story behind two mysterious signs in the Smithsonian’s collection complicates the provenance of the invention.
(via OPEN: The History of Neon Signs - Hal Wallace - Technology - The Atlantic)
Subway Inn, layered (by catasterist)
Cool Kickstarter project by our friend Kirsten Hively. Check it out…
Architect and designer Kirsten Hively has an enthusiasm for urban space and form that is contagious. … Recently, Hively has discovered a passion for the neon signage of the city and has launched Project Neon, an effort to seek out, photograph and encourage appreciation of the glow of New York City.
