up in lights

When it came to put together an entry for type month I knew exactly what I wanted to talk about. I have three words for you: vintage marquee lights. And the Neon Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada is full of them. For me, this is heaven. The colors, the letterforms, and even the rust are perfection in my eyes. Each piece has a different story, a unique history, that sets it apart from the crowd of other signs. The ol’ saying goes, ‘If these walls could talk.’ Well, imagine if these letters could talk. I know they’d keep me entertained for days.

I haven’t had the chance to personally visit ‘The Boneyard,’ as its been nicknamed, but I have a feeling it would be a bittersweet experience. I would have to restrain myself from ooh-ing over every single letter and ahh-ing at the beautiful hues for hours and hours. The bittersweet part? I wouldn’t even be able to bring back a single light bulb, let alone a letter. The Mission of the Neon Museum, in their words, is to ‘collect, preserve, study and exhibit neon signs and associated artifacts to inspire educational and cultural enrichment for diverse members of our international community.’ Translation: Not for sale.

I suppose it’s for the best, because I will probably never own a wall big enough for one of these letters or a wallet thick enough to afford something comparable to these marquee letters. But it doesn’t hurt to stare. And stare I will, because to me this collection of letters is one of the best around. You’ve got scripts, serifs, san-serifs and slab fonts all leaning on each other reminiscing of times past. You’ve got small aged metal pieces propped up against a huge broken down motel sign. You’ve got the original Silver Slipper under the desert sun for your up close and personal viewing pleasure. It’s surreal and beautiful all at the same time.

So if you can tear yourself away from the slot machines and craps tables on your next trip to visit to Vegas, wander on over the Neon Museum and send me back a postcard. I’ll smile and turn green with envy.

Photography by: Pam Sattler
Article by: Elissa Braun