CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE © David Silver
- Previously posted on FAB – April 18, 2013
A Pair of Urban Ediglyphs – Capitol Hill – Seattle, WA
© Frank H. Jump
© Frank H. Jump
I call the interplay between painted text on brickface and graffiti/streetart an “urban ediglyph.” The etymology of this word comes from the words ediface- an imposing building (in this case a building wall) and petroglyph - ancient rock engravings left behind by earlier indigenous cultures. Often the earlier fading ad is somewhat indecipherable but takes on a newer meaning with the addition of the streetart or urban tagging. Here are two from Seattle that I thought merited a blog posting.
Bass-Hueter Paint Co. – Seattle, WA – Oscar Maurer, Pictorialist photographer
© Frank H. Jump
“Make that ‘ugly duckling bathroom’ the pride of your LITTLE GAY HOME IN THE WEST” – Sunset Magazine 1932 – CLICK FOR PDF – Ebay
Oscar Maurer (1870–1965) was a nationally recognized Pictorialist photographer based in California. His photographs appeared in Camera Work, Camera Craft, The Camera, and other photography journals. His studio in Berkeley, designed by Bernard Maybeck and built in 1907, is an architectural landmark.
Oscar Maurer was born in New York City and moved with his family to San Francisco in 1886. His uncle, the lithographer Louis Maurer, encouraged him to take up photography as an important new artistic medium. The teenaged Oscar got a box camera, set up a darkroom in the basement, and was soon selling a line of San Francisco scenes to local art stores. He studied chemistry and physics at the University of California but didn’t pursue a scientific career. Between 1891 and 1898, he worked as a salesman for Bass-Hueter Paint Company. By 1897 he had become a member of the California Camera Club. - Wikipedia
© Frank H. Jump
- Berkeley Heritage dot com - Berkeley Landmarks: Oscar Maurer
- Sunset Magazine ad – Ebay
