Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611

  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Philadelphia Graffiti Handstyles: An Exploration in the Early 2020s

Philadelphia Graffiti Handstyles: An Exploration in the Early 2020s

Chastanet, Francois
Meyerson, Sam

Hardcover

General PhotographyGraffiti & Street ArtArt & Popular Culture

Publisher Price: $29.95

PREORDER - Expected ship date October 10, 2026

ISBN10: 918994416X
ISBN13: 9789189944169
Publisher: Dokument Forlag
Published: Oct 10 2026
Pages: 160
Weight: 1.06
Height: 1.00 Width: 6.25 Depth: 9.75
Language: English
Philadelphia has developed a distinctive form of street penmanship that remains largely overlooked in American graffiti. The city is home to an independent street tagging scene that represents a striking local form of calligraphic tradition thriving within the limits of a major metropolitan area.

In the spring of 2023, French graphic designer Francois Chastanet undertook an in-depth exploration through the streets of Philadelphia. Armed with his camera, he set out to demonstrate how public name-writing in the city, rooted in a rich legacy, continues to flourish through unique styles. At the same time, notebook sessions with writers from different generations offered a rare insight into the preparatory work done on paper before performing in the street.

Through photographs and diagrams, Chastanet traces the ongoing evolution of handstyles, especially highlighting the condensed and monumental Tall Hands, and the remarkable Wickeds, elaborate wild-style signatures that require exceptional skill and are found nowhere else. As the land of extreme cursivity, Philadelphia has much to offer to anyone interested in letterforms.

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