Born of steel and glass,
fired by Noble Gas.
Beckoning, nocturnal, left behind.
Some forgotten ghosts of good times gone.
A handful alive, preserved by a new generation.
Sublime under peeling paint and rust patina
Old neon signs are the endangered species along the roadsides of many countries. Many are being
replaced with generic, cheaper to maintain signs lit with fluorescent bulbs.
Others are left to degrade and become dim when tubes break and are not
replaced. There are new neon signs being produced, but they more often than not
do not have the imagination of a master neon sign.
The History of Neon
The word Neon comes from the Greek "neos," meaning "The New Gas." Old Neon signs
are most often neon or argon gas in a vacuum tube; the smaller the diameter of
the tube, the more intense the light produced and the higher the voltage
required to illuminate it.
The neon sign is attributed to Georges Claude who popularized it in Paris in
1910. The Lights Fantastic was brought to America in 1923. Earle C. Anthony
purchased two signs for $24,000, money enough to purchase a small bungalow or
two automobiles, and installed them in his Los Angeles Packard dealership. It is
said, one sign still glows in the night!
Although there are now more than 150 neon colors possible by combining different
gases like Krypton, Xenon and Helium, two favorites remain -- a fiery orange-red
Neon gas called Ruby Red and a soft lavender Argon gas that turns a brilliant
blue when enhanced with a drop or two of mercury. Another blue - Bromo Blue -
named from the popular deep blue Bromo-Seltzer bottle, is a glass color made
from Cobalt.
In the early years neon signs stopped traffic as people stared in
fascination. The so-called "Liquid Fire" captivated the public and it wasn't long before neon was everywhere. Theater marquee,
night club and restaurant signs became an integral part of the streamlined
American landscape.
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Neon became the light of the American Dream. Technology created even more colors
and by the 50's pink and turquoise started to cover the new drive-ins and
diners, matching girl's felt poodle skirts and boy's ruffled tuxedo shirts for
Prom night.
By the 60's bright plastic signs began to appear and neon's blazing lights,
suddenly considered tacky, faded across the nation. During the next ten years
neon sign making almost became a lost art, but in the early 70's a new breed of
neon craftspeople emerged; these artisans expanded the realm of neon from
advertising signs into the world of art. Artists like Fishman learned to use
neon tubing to express his visions. The results are nothing less than
breath-taking!
See the
About.com - History of Neon Signs web page or
Let
there be Neon for more interesting information.
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