DescriptionSidney Borden founded the Institute of Lettering and Design of Chicago, IL, in 1937, which was a notable school for aspiring sign designers and advertisers. It would go on to train hundreds of signpainters over the school's more than 50-year history. Chicago boasted both the Institute of Lettering and Design as well as the Washburne Trade School, both notable training grounds for many sign painters during the early to mid 20th century.. The Detroit School of Lettering in Michigan was also a prolific producer of instructional manuals until the Great Depression effected its closure. On the East Coast, the Wagner School of Sign and Commercial Art in Boston, MA and the Bloomfield School of SignCraft in Bloomfield, NJ trained aspiring sign mechanics. Today, one of the few remaining schools is the Sign Graphics Program at the Los Angeles Trade Technical College.