City Skyline Headstones

Not everyone loved the countryside. For proud city people — Torontonians, New Yorkers, Montrealers — a skyline on the headstone says: this was home.

Design ideas

• A skyline silhouette across the top or base.
• A landmark — a bridge, tower or stadium.
• Their neighbourhood — a street corner, a shop, a church.
• Skyline at night with lit windows.
• Two skylines — the city they were born in and the one they lived in.

Trademarks and landmarks

Public skylines and buildings are generally fine to depict. Avoid copying a specific photographer's image or a business's logo — designers can draw an original skyline. See can you put a logo on a headstone.

Layout

A skyline makes a natural border along the top or base of a wide stone. On a companion stone, it can run beneath both names. See landscape vs portrait headstones.

Etching

Etched scenes look best on polished black granite, where fine shading shows clearly. See custom etched scenes.

Epitaphs

"Toronto born and bred", "Home is where the city lights are", "Forever a New Yorker", "City lights, heaven's light".

Choosing the photo

Use a clear daytime or night photo taken from a familiar viewpoint — the view from their apartment, a favourite park or across the harbour. Designers can simplify it into a crisp silhouette.

Night or day?

Night skylines with lit windows look dramatic on black granite.

Key Takeaways

• Skylines honour proud city people.
• Landmarks and neighbourhoods add personal detail.
• Use an original drawing, not someone's photo or logo.
• Skylines make natural borders on wide stones.

Next Step

See modern headstone designs.