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Neon signs

Neon signs
Europeana Foundation
Europeana Foundation
Europeana shares and promotes Europe's digital cultural heritage to be used and enjoyed by everyone for learning, for work, or just for fun.

Neon signs represent modernity and progress, and were a defining feature of cities in the 20th century. Their electrical light signified technological optimism and their glow evokes nightlife, desire and urban energy, closely tied to entertainment districts and consumer culture. Neon signs are a unique artform because they blends art and industry. Designers draw with light, bending tubes into fluid lines, typography and animations. Neon was discovered in 1898 and became popularised after Georges Claude demonstrated neon tubes in the 1910s. By the 1920s and 1930s, neon signs began to transform cityscapes with their vibrancy. From advertising to social messaging, neon signs are a form of cultural heritage.

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Category interior-design

Historical context

Other

Curatorial tags

neon, advertising, commerce, 20th century, urban, cities

Curated with

1 - Nordic Museum Foundation, Hernried, Karl Heinz, CC-BY-NC-ND, via Europeana

2 - Nordic Museum Foundation, Okänd, CC-BY-NC-ND, via Europeana

3 - Museum of Ethnography, Okänd, CC0, via Europeana

4 - Örebro County Museum, Borg, Knut, Public Domain Mark, via Europeana

5 - Photographic Archive of the Civic Museums of Turin, GABINIO MARIO, CC-BY, via Europeana

7 - National Library of Ireland, Independent Newspapers PLC, InC, via Europeana

8 - Upplands Museum, Uppsala-Bild, CC0, via Europeana

9 - Blekinge Museum, CC-BY-NC, via Europeana

10 - Museum of World Culture, Törnros, Beatrice, CC0, via Europeana

13 - Swedish National Museum of Science and Technology, Okänd, Public Domain Mark, via Europeana

14 - Oslo Museum, Atelier Rude, CC-BY-SA, via Europeana

15 - The Royal Library: The National Library of Denmark and Copenhagen University Library, Petersen, Poul (1923-) fotograf, CC-BY-NC-ND, via Europeana

Europeana Foundation

About the creator

Europeana shares and promotes Europe's digital cultural heritage to be used and enjoyed by everyone for learning, for work, or just for fun.

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