The Writing on the Wall

A photographic and historical record of New York’s vanishing outdoor advertisements—faded reminders of the city’s colorful past. A Holiday Gift Guide selection of the New York Times and Publishers Weekly As the great city of New York moves, changes, and evolves every day, the remnants of its past often go unnoticed. The city’s “ghost signs”—advertisements painted across the facades of buildings that date back to the nineteenth century—are often overlooked by the busy New Yorker. These faded representations of the city’s rich economic and social history are slowly disappearing before our eyes, but not before they were captured by this photographer’s lens. At the tender age of sixteen, Ben Passikoff roamed around Manhattan with his camera to document these fascinating signs—hand-painted messages written all over the city. This photographic collection features signs painted in the 1800s as well as in the twenty-first century; signs that advertise funeral homes, meat, and underwear; signs stretched across iconic buildings; and even signs that are no longer legible. Using his photographs as a looking-glass into the past, Passikoff provides insightful commentary on the economic, social, and historical significance of commerce in New York City, and its vanishing ghost signs, now preserved in this photographic record. “The most exciting visual concept for a book about New York in many a year.” —George Lois, Clio Award-winning designer