Reverse glass sign painting

Reverse glass signpainting, also known as verre églomisé when gilding is involved, refers to the technique of painting or gilding artwork on the reverse side of glass so that it is viewed from the front. This craft became prominent in the UK during the Victorian era, particularly from the mid-19th century onwards, as advances in glass production and transportation made flat glass more affordable and widely available.

During the late 1800s, reverse glass signs were commonly used for shopfronts, pub mirrors, and internal signage in establishments such as hotels, theatres, and railway stations. The technique offered an elegant, durable, and weather-resistant surface, and when combined with gold leaf, painted lettering, and ornamental flourishes, it provided an eye-catching and prestigious appearance ideal for advertising and branding.

British signpainters were influenced by European styles, particularly the ornate work coming from France and Germany. However, the UK developed its own distinctive aesthetic, often favouring bold serif typography, scrollwork, and the use of gold leaf for luxury businesses.

The popularity of reverse glass signpainting began to decline in the early-to-mid 20th century with the rise of cheaper and faster alternatives, such as screen printing, plastic signage, and later digital printing. As a result, many of the traditional techniques were nearly lost, surviving only among a few skilled craftsmen.

In recent decades, however, there has been a revival of interest in the craft, driven by the resurgence of traditional signpainting and heritage restoration projects. Artists and signwriters across the UK are now rediscovering and preserving the methods of reverse glass work, often combining them with contemporary design sensibilities to bring new life to a historical artform.

• French embossing (most endangered)
• Acid etching (most endangered)
• Brilliant cutting (endangered)
• Water gilding
• Silvering (endangered)
• Angel gilding
• Verre églomisé
• Graining (related to marbling)

• Skills issues: The craft is labour intensive which puts people off learning it. It takes dedication and a lot of time to hone your skills.
• Raw materials: The paints aren’t as good as they used to be which is becoming an issue.
• High costs of raw materials and labour: The high cost of the materials and labour compared to the low cost and high speed of computer designed vinyl graphics reduces the number of clients willing to commission work.
• Training issues: Training in reverse glass sign painting can be expensive
• Skills issues: some of the allied skills, such as mirror silvering are becoming extremely endangered. The materials used (mainly the Hydfrofluric Acid is extremely toxic and hard to source) puts off most signwriters from engaging more heavily in the skill set.
• Skills issues: many practitioners do not undertake French Embossing or traditional embossing.  Some will undertake mica embossing which requires the least amount of set up but still produces a beautiful result.
• Skills issues: this craft originated from very skilled, multi disciplinary business people who could tackle jobs on a commercial scale and to a commercial timetable. The craft is becoming less relevant to business consumers (as it always was) as most of the list of practitioners do not undertake enough of the skills (crucially including framing and installation) as to to be able to offer the craft to all but domestic users.
• Market issues: there a very few craftspeople who undertake traditional commercial work vital to the survival of the traditional street scene. The vast majority of the list of craftspeople will undertake one off, small scale commissions which involve perhaps signwriting, gilding and some mica embossing, largely but not exclusively, for domestic purposes or a shop window.  Asking craftspeople to produce a 6 metre embossed and gilded fascia sign together with installation and an advertising mirror for the interior of the establishment are almost non existent.

David A. Smith MBE – Gold Leaf Workshops (Torquay, Devon)

David A. Smith is a world-renowned master of reverse glass signpainting and gilding. His intensive 3-day workshops cover water and oil gilding, signwriting in reverse, glass edge scalloping, and traditional decoration techniques. 

City & Guilds of London Art School – Gilding and Verre Églomisé (London)

This short course offers a strong introduction to verre églomisé and oil gilding. Students learn how to apply gold leaf to glass, etch designs, and use enamel paints to create mirrored effects.

Happy Gilder – YouTube Tutorials (YouTube Channel)

The Happy Gilder (also known as  Paul Chamberlain) offers free video tutorials on YouTube covering reverse glass gilding, glue chipping, acid etching, signwriting, and more. 

Rob Walker – Signs by Umberto (Huddersfield, UK)

Rob Walker, operating under the name Signs by Umberto, is a signwriter based in Huddersfield, UK. He specializes in traditional signwriting, reverse glass sign making and verre églomisé. Rob offers workshops in reverse glass painting and gilding techniques.

• David Adrian Smith – apprenticed to Gordon Farr in the 1980s in the UK and Rick Glawson in the 1990s in California and brought the craft back from a brief period where it was not practised at all in the UK. He now has clients from all around the world and is the only person in the world teaching all the processes together.
• Jack Hollands, Signwriting Jack
• Aaron Stephens, Valentine Signs
• Eddy Bennett
• Archie Salandin, Irregular Signs
• Robert Walker, Signs byUmberto – Trained with David A Smith MBE in Gilding, Etching, Brilliant
  Cutting and Silver Nitrate Mirroring. QEST, Winch Design Scholar
• Archie Proudfoot
• Paul Banks
• Ash and Sarah Bishop, Brilliant Signs
• Robert Bondar, Loire Designs
• Paul Chamberlain, The Happy Gilder
• Tobias Newbigin
• Ash Willerton

Our thanks go to our 2025 reviewers:

• Jack Hollands
• Eddy Bennett

We consult with a wide range of practitioners and organisations to review and update the Red List. Some choose to remain anonymous but all feedback is taken into account.

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