Cross over the city limits into the surrounding towns and you will immediately see that the urban appearance changes. City planning here has tended to be less rigid than in Paris, and modern rebuilds less frequent, meaning that many interesting traces of the past are still visible. Ghost signs are a good example of these historical footprints. Rare in Paris, they are still relatively common in the towns that surround the capital, such as in Levallois where I found this multi-layered sign almost overlooking the boundary line.

It seems to contain perhaps as many as three different adverts, but most visible of all is the name Nicolas. Today this title is most often connected to a ubiquitous chain of wine retailers, but is this ad referring to the same company?

Despite the unfamiliar logo, the answer is yes. The company may have a more modern image today (here’s a typical shop), but it actually has a long history which dates back to 1822. It became particularly well-known in the 1930s when 233 outlets could be found in the Paris region alone, and it is likely that this advert dates from that period. The company also produced an annual catalogue of its stock, designed by leading artists of the time, which became collector’s items. One of these catalogues, dating from 1935 (pictured right), helps us to confirm the match with the ghost sign. At the bottom you can see the same logo as on the wall with a matching large ‘O’ in the middle.

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