Old advertising signs in the Touraine and an appeal for more!

One feature of life in the Touraine is the number of old advertising signage – metal, carved or painted on walls – seen in practically every village and certainly every town. They often refer to defunct products and companies. They are a valuable link to the past as they both refer to what were once every-day consumer items and have also become landmarks in their own right, though often never consciously recognised as such.

I know from my previous work as a local historian in Bristol UK how quickly such signs are lost – one day they are part of all our lives, the next painted over or  gone into a skip for land fill.

Over the past year or so I’ve been snapping old signs when I’ve been out and about – but quite often I don’t have my camera with me so I miss a lot. I was wondering if you, dear readers, fancy photographing such signs where you live and send them to me so I can put a ‘grande collection’ on this site (with acknowledgments, of course). Anyway, here are a few I’ve collected so far just to set you going!

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