Lettres Décoratives: A Century of French Sign Painters’ Alphabets Out of Office_Library Generously sized

Generously sized

So many were unfamiliar to me

engineered with a lowered center of gravity to reduce fatigue during extended use

Handcrafted by a Texan woodworker with a subtly carved rough-hewn surface texture that reflects light beautifully and prevents items from rolling off

Thrown on the wheel at Grandmont Street

Lettres Décoratives: A Century of French Sign Painters’ Alphabets Out of Office_Library Generously sizedAcross France, before standardized type arrived to settle the question, the sign painter was the city's typographer the person responsible for how storefronts, restaurants, and music halls looked. These artisans worked from large chromolithographic portfolios: model alphabets printed to demonstrate styles, teach technique, and supply an entire trade with its visual vocabulary. Lettres Dcoratives recovers that tradition in full more than 150 plates of