Piccadilly, London, UK
(Topical Press / Getty)
Piccadilly Circus hasn’t been a circus – a circle – since 1886, when its shape was disrupted by the newly built Shaftesbury Avenue. In 1908, a sign for Perrier became the first illuminated advert in the plethora of signs for which Piccadilly Circus continues to be renowned. The first neon sign was an advert for Bovril, a meat extract.
This shot shows a multitude of signage, including ‘Cannes: The Seaside of Flowers and Sports’, ‘Guinness is Good for You’, Sandeman’s Port, Army Club Cigarettes, Cafe Monico and Chop Suey Chinese Restaurant.
The sign for the London Pavilion gives the surnames of Pickford and Fairbanks, aka Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. Following their marriage in 1920, the pair produced their pictures at their co-owned Pickford-Fairbanks Hollywood studio.
‘You’ve smoked something worth smoking when you’ve smoked an ARMY CLUB. THE FRONT-LINE CIGARETTE. This is the cigarette for the fellow with the full-size man’s job to do. When you’re feeling all “hit up”, it steadies the nerves.’
Army Club cigarette advert c.1920
