Frenchman Georges Claude’s neon lighting at the Paris Motor Show was only used to light the front of the large exhibition space at the Grand Palais with red lighting. Although his invention gained positive responses at the Motor Show, Claude was frustrated that the red light emitted from the straight 35m long tubes meant that the new technology couldn’t be used to replace conventional home lighting.
Claude’s friend and associate Jacques Fonseque persuaded the inventor to instead market his lights for advertising as they could be bent into any shape. The first such light was apparently sold to a Parisian barber and, after other successful early purchases by individual shops, a large sign for the alcoholic drink Cinzano became the first use of neon to actively advertise a product.
Claude patented his invention in 1915, and this gave him a virtual monopoly over the production of neon lights for the first few years of their existence. However, it wasn’t until he sold the first neon lights to a Los Angeles-based car dealer in 1923 that he really began to benefit from his creation. In some places the new ‘liquid fire’ signs became even more popular and famous than the businesses they were advertising. Large neon signs such as Vegas Vic at Las Vegas’ Pioneer Club have since become cultural icons in their own right.
Despite the development of other light technologies, neon remains a popular form of advertising. It has also made its way into many homes, since the same technology forms the basis of plasma televisions.
