Photographed along Route 66 in Seligman, Arizona, this image focuses on the Supai Motel sign, a surviving piece of mid-century roadside design. The motel opened in the 1950s and became one of the most photographed neon signs on the highway.
This close-up view isolates the shapes, lettering, and wear of the metal — showing where paint has faded and rust has crept under the edges of old enamel. The sign’s condition tells the same story as Seligman itself: a small town that outlasted the end of the Mother Road by holding on to its identity and humor.
Created using the wet plate collodion process, the photograph turns the sign’s patina and glow into a timeless composition. The medium’s depth and tonal range reveal every surface detail, from the rivets to the brush marks of mid-century craftsmanship.
Part of the NomadType Route 66 series, Supai Motel Sign celebrates the icons that still greet travelers — weathered, working, and unmistakably American.
Photographed along Route 66 in Seligman, Arizona, this image focuses on the Supai Motel sign, a surviving piece of mid-century roadside design. The motel opened in the 1950s and became one of the most photographed neon signs on the highway.
This close-up view isolates the shapes, lettering, and wear of the metal — showing where paint has faded and rust has crept under the edges of old enamel. The sign’s condition tells the same story as Seligman itself: a small town that outlasted the end of the Mother Road by holding on to its identity and humor.
Created using the wet plate collodion process, the photograph turns the sign’s patina and glow into a timeless composition. The medium’s depth and tonal range reveal every surface detail, from the rivets to the brush marks of mid-century craftsmanship.
Part of the NomadType Route 66 series, Supai Motel Sign celebrates the icons that still greet travelers — weathered, working, and unmistakably American.
