NEON HISTORY

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FOTOS: HONOLULU'S VANISHING ELECTRIC HERITAGE

GONE THE GLOWING TUBES OF ADVERTISING GOODNESS

Old School Urban Night Lights Disappearing In The Dark

Translucent plastic fluorescent-lighted signs have largely replaced the garish neon of the 1940's, 50's & 60's as a means of advertising a small business in towns and cities all over America. Despised by many, banned by some towns, we never really missed them until they were almost gone. Now they are like the fireflies of our youth, merely a memory of a magical illumination in the blackness, victims of pollution light and dark. The signs once represented the hopes and dreams of little guys and gals around the country, staying up late to sling hash or pour beers, pump gas or bail you out of jail, all hoping to catch your eye with a bright and clever sign glowing in the darkness, hard-working night-owls trying to survive and maybe make that big score some day. Neon was used to indicate the raucous elements of night life in bad B-movies and great film noir, along with hot jazz and flashy characters, tilted cameras and sudden brilliant flashes of light. Sex, drugs and rock and roll all happened under a neon light for the first time for a lot of people back then. The neon lights that remain today remind us of our wonderfully tawdry past, like a lost motel on a forgotten highway. Here are some of the last neon signs left in downtown Honolulu, on the island of Oahu, in the State of Hawaii, USA.


[Click on photo to enlarge.]




















Images processed with the FREE GIMP GNU Image Manipulation Program downloadable HERE. It works just like Photoshop, for a HELL of a lot less money. I'm sure you can do a better job with it than I did.


MORE PHOTOGRAPHS OF HAWAII
http://blog-me-no-blogs.blogspot.com/search/label/hawaii-in-pictures

[Slideshow available at Hawaii Progressives. Full-sized hi-res version by arrangement. All photos copyright 2009 cosanostradamus. All rights reserved.]


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