Photographer Matt Siber did a series about 15 years ago called “Floating Logos”. One of my favorite from the series was an image from Missouri of a billboard simply saying “Jesus” suspended in the air above a railroad crossing and a corrugated steel building. I was going to attach the image but don’t have the option on my iPad. Here’s a link to the series. The image is about half way down the page. https://www.siberart.com/floating-logos
I look out for signs like these when I'm out on road trips. They're a one of our top bits of Americana on our scavenger hunt list, to me just so interesting and sort of alien to me after being away from America for a decade and a half.
Yes, a road trip staple to watch out for—especially on country roads. In my mind’s eye, I have a voice reserved for these: a wavering, sweaty, urgent, throaty Southern voice.
If I’m being totally honest, several of the most recent essays you’ve shared have made me cry. The words are beautifully woven together, your images sparkly threads in this lovely substack blanket.
As a person “born and bred” in Alabama, this post made me smile and laugh. Thank you for being, yet again, the highlight of my inbox. 🙌🏻😂🙌🏻
Really interesting text and photos documenting what for me is a wholly alien phenomenon. There are lots of roadside crucifixes in Belgium but they don’t come with slogan support!
I would love one to put in my yard. Someone on Bluesky mentioned replacing the religious text with something from science fiction. I would probably get one that says:
It will take me a while to find it, but somewhere I have a print (not my best) of a billboard on the side of a building in Magnolia, Wisconsin, featuring an illustration of a bible and reading, “Life’s road map.” Along that same highway were several bathtub shrines to the Madonna. I’ve always had a fondness for those, being raised by a lapsed Catholic. (In our high school, non-Catholics had study hall on holy days. The order was much more laid back sounds like.)
I’ll try to dig it out. My photo didn’t do it justice, and it wasn’t a great print. I’m not sure if I ever photographed the bathtub Madonna shrines. There were several in Evansville, if I remember right. I have a mixture of irreverence and respect for the church, depending on the parish, my mood, etc.
I should very much like to see that photo. And I am imagining Our Lady of the Incarnate Tub, and thinking I might need to get to Missouri one of these days.
I love these photos and I love the signs. Every time I'm in the US I'm looking out for them. Unfortunately, the old-timey hand-painted signs are getting replaced by weird full color prints or LCD billboards, but here and there are still some faded signs. There is a great book: With Signs Following, Photographs from the Southern Religious Roadside by Joe York, 2007. It has a Mayes cross on the cover, one of my primary “research object”.
Photographer Matt Siber did a series about 15 years ago called “Floating Logos”. One of my favorite from the series was an image from Missouri of a billboard simply saying “Jesus” suspended in the air above a railroad crossing and a corrugated steel building. I was going to attach the image but don’t have the option on my iPad. Here’s a link to the series. The image is about half way down the page. https://www.siberart.com/floating-logos
Now this is an interesting project. I almost think a world with floating signs might be kind of interesting to see.
I look out for signs like these when I'm out on road trips. They're a one of our top bits of Americana on our scavenger hunt list, to me just so interesting and sort of alien to me after being away from America for a decade and a half.
Yes, a road trip staple to watch out for—especially on country roads. In my mind’s eye, I have a voice reserved for these: a wavering, sweaty, urgent, throaty Southern voice.
Yeah pretty close for me as well
If I’m being totally honest, several of the most recent essays you’ve shared have made me cry. The words are beautifully woven together, your images sparkly threads in this lovely substack blanket.
As a person “born and bred” in Alabama, this post made me smile and laugh. Thank you for being, yet again, the highlight of my inbox. 🙌🏻😂🙌🏻
I never meant to make you cry!
Cry as in, your words were very lovely.. they were good and hopeful tears, I promise!
Really interesting text and photos documenting what for me is a wholly alien phenomenon. There are lots of roadside crucifixes in Belgium but they don’t come with slogan support!
I can imagine that this post might be one sequence of “What American chicanery is this?” in the eyes of a European reader. It’s a mess here.
What you do today we do tomorrow, for good or bad…..
I love those signs, and have often wondered the same thing as the questions you pose. What a fun post, with great pictures.
I would love one to put in my yard. Someone on Bluesky mentioned replacing the religious text with something from science fiction. I would probably get one that says:
“Bless the Maker and His water.
Bless the coming and going of Him.
May His passage cleanse the world.
May He keep the world for His people.”
And boiled peanuts are definitely worth trying.
Yes. Absolutely, yes.
It will take me a while to find it, but somewhere I have a print (not my best) of a billboard on the side of a building in Magnolia, Wisconsin, featuring an illustration of a bible and reading, “Life’s road map.” Along that same highway were several bathtub shrines to the Madonna. I’ve always had a fondness for those, being raised by a lapsed Catholic. (In our high school, non-Catholics had study hall on holy days. The order was much more laid back sounds like.)
I’ll try to dig it out. My photo didn’t do it justice, and it wasn’t a great print. I’m not sure if I ever photographed the bathtub Madonna shrines. There were several in Evansville, if I remember right. I have a mixture of irreverence and respect for the church, depending on the parish, my mood, etc.
I should very much like to see that photo. And I am imagining Our Lady of the Incarnate Tub, and thinking I might need to get to Missouri one of these days.
I love these photos and I love the signs. Every time I'm in the US I'm looking out for them. Unfortunately, the old-timey hand-painted signs are getting replaced by weird full color prints or LCD billboards, but here and there are still some faded signs. There is a great book: With Signs Following, Photographs from the Southern Religious Roadside by Joe York, 2007. It has a Mayes cross on the cover, one of my primary “research object”.
https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/W/With-Signs-Following