La petite histoire du néon

We all love neon lights for their cool, colorful and vibrant style. The neon signs are very popular in interior design and retail today. But neon signs as we know and love them have a long history dating back to the discoveries of 1675 through the developments of the 1850s.

In this article, we will look at the history of neon signs.

 

The beginnings of neon signs

The technology of neon signs dates back to ancient times: 1675.

At that time, we had not even discovered electricity. However, the French astronomer Jean Picard noticed a small glimmer of light emitted by mercury in a barometer tube.

The glow occurred when the tube was shaken, due to static electricity. However, the phenomenon was not understood at that time.

Although it was not understood, it was studied. It was not until years later, when electricity was discovered and mastered, that scientists began to understand and invent many different types of lighting.

The neon signs, in particular, are based on the work of the glass blower Heinrich Geissler and the physicist Julius Plücker.

The work of the two men led to the production of glowing glass tubes in Germany in the 1850s.

Geissler tubes were used in laboratories and by miners in France. Geissler tubes contained air and other types of gases, including carbon dioxide and mercury vapor. They were used as panels and lamps in the 1890s.

As for neon as we know and love it as a bright city sign, it was first introduced in 1910 by French inventor Georges Claude. The first neon lights used glass tubes similar to the earlier versions made in Germany. They relied on the work of chemists Morris Travers and Sir William Ramsey to use neon gas. Travers and Ramsey discovered that microscopic amounts of neon gas occur naturally in our atmosphere.

This may come as a surprise to some, but the neon is actually the fifth most abundant element in the universe by mass, after hydrogen, helium, oxygen and carbon. Despite this, only 0.0018% of the Earth's atmosphere is made up of this odorless, colorless gas.

Ramsey and Travers were the first to isolate the element, first with liquid argon, which was evaporated to create krypton.

 

The marketing of neon

The first tube to contain neon was made for scientific study and not for use as a lamp or sign. Georges Claude advanced this discovery by experimenting. He noted that when the neon gas was combined with other elements and powered by an electrical charge, it displayed a bright colored light inside the sealed tube.

Soon after this discovery, Claude presented the first neon lamp at an exhibition in Paris in 1910. He patented neon tubes in 1915, and then commercialized the invention. The first advertising sign made of neon was used for a hair salon in Paris. In 1923, a car company called Packard Motors took two of Claude's first neon signs and imported them to the United States. The company used them to advertise in its downtown Los Angeles showroom, giving birth to the concept of neon sign advertising in America.

Thanks to his patent, Claude had a monopoly onneon lighting lighting in the 1920s. Soon after, the patents expired and his trade secrets were disclosed, allowing others to produce neon lights as well.

 

The neon invasion

At that timeneon lighting was already a growing technology that would later be used everywhere from the Moulin Rouge in Paris to New York's Times Square to the Las Vegas Strip.

Lighting also figured prominently at the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago in 1933. A few years later, in 1938, at the New York World's Fair, General Motors erected a giant neon sign reading "Futurama" to light the way to the car manufacturers' exhibit.

In the following decades, neon would transform entire buildings into giant billboards for all kinds of businesses. 

In the middle of the century, lighting was even adopted for more political purposes. Indeed, in order to imitate Western cities, the Soviet Union illuminated its facades. L'massive introduction of neon signs was intended to make the environment of communist citizens as glamorous as the big cities of the West.

In the 1960s, neon began to be phased out and replaced by other products that were cheaper and less labor intensive to produce. Companies no longer considered it the most viable lighting option and it lost its cool, futuristic look. 

 

The decline of neon signs

The global economic downturn of the 1970s explains the decline of neon. Replacing broken or flickering signs was no longer a priority for struggling homeowners. These deteriorating signs reinforced the sense of hardship, almost as a symbol of decline. Neon lost its luster and became unfashionable.

The Las Vegas Neon Museum and the Museum of Neon Arts exhibit neon art and trace the history of neon.

Despite this, neon is no longer consigned to museums. Today, the neon is experiencing a revival. There are cleaner, more cost-effective alternatives with a cool retro neon style.

 

Renaissance and new LED technologies

The neon signs have become very popular for decorating homes and offices. Indeed, it is rare to find cafes and bars or restaurants that do not use slogans or graphics made from neon LEDs. Social networks are a big part of the new popularity of neon. They allow people to take an instant photo with the sign to let people know where they are and what they are doing.

At Yellowpop, we make handmade neon signs made by hand so you can have the design of your choice. This means that the neon LED signs signs cannot be mass-produced and gives them a handmade look.

Since the beginning of its history, neon has gone through many journeys, as well as ups and downs. In the last decade, it has experienced a renaissance as people rightly begin to view neon lighting and signs as an art form.

 

If you need help designing the best neon for your needs, please contact us today!

 

Image: Crowds engulf Broadway on New Year's Eve, January 1964. Photograph by George F. Mobley, National Geographic