Lettres Décoratives: A Century of French Sign Painters' Alphabets

An immersive look inside 12 colorful alphabet albums used by 19th- and early 20th-century French sign painters

Beginning in the 19th century, sign painters adorned the streets and storefronts of French cities with eye-catching letters in styles ranging from the elegant to the eccentric. Large chromolithographic portfolios supplied these artisans with an array of dazzling model alphabets for use as inspiration, teaching aids and shows of technical skill. Lettres Décoratives offers a definiti...