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Recent Specimens

Caslon's Circular No. 47 comes out with a fine series of « Ionic Old-Style, » from 2-line great primer to long primer, smaller sizes to follow. For side-titles to old-style body-founts, these cannot be surpassed. Several more sizes of the useful expanded « Atlas » appear. A new corner is shewn for the pretty 2-line English border No. 47, by which the border may be set double, with very good effect. The tasteful two-line pica « Ivy » border of last year is now followed up by the « Holly » —a very similar design, and equally economical, as there is only one character.

Messrs Baber & Rawlings, Auckland, send us a specimen-sheet of the latest novelty of the Fann-st. Foundry: « Renaissance Ornaments, series 6. » This series is a collection of light flowers, in the style of the well-known « line ornaments, » but adapted to running borders, There are 25 characters, all to multiples or fractions of pica. The design is neat and graceful, but almost too light and flimsy for border-work, unless strengthened by brass-rule on one or both sides.

We have to acknowledge receipt of a very neat specimen-book from. Barnhart Bros., & Spindler, of the Great Western Foundry, Chicago. The book is not very large; but it has this advantage—the faces it shews are all originated and patented by this foundry. We do not think Messrs. B. B. & S.'s type is known in New Zealand as yet—if it were, we are sure that some of their styles would have a large sale. It is cast of copper-alloy metal, and to the point system. The book begins with scripts, of which the « Myrtle » is very original and pretty. The « Jewel » and the « Princess » are angular and graceful, and the « Lakeside » is a good hairline backslope. « Circular Gothic » is a neat hair-line sans, with lower-case and small caps. « Superior » is a condensed hair-line, with a slight trace of ornament. Two styles of « Angular » are a decided advance upon the « Geometries, » but we do not like the style. « Emerald, » « Ethic, » « Challenge, » and « Circlet, » will all help to fill a great deficiency—that of good ornamental extended styles. « Radial » is a bold italic with fanciful caps; « Élite, » « Clematis, » « Sentry, » « Empire, » « Brevet, » « Olive, » « Pansy, » and « Antler, » are all capital fancy styles with lower case, marked with that touch of eccentricity which distinguishes all the new American faces. They are difficult to describe; but if we could shew a line of each, there are those among our readers who would not rest till they had got some of them, « Universal » is a neat condensed old-style job roman; « Landseer » and « Victor » eccentricities in extended styles; « Eclipse » and « Eclipse Shaded, » good wide job styles; « Vulcan » a bold style, the B and D open at the foot; « Champion, » an ugly style, with lower-case; « Asteroid, » a good condensed, lower-case running from middle of caps; « Castle » and « Spenser, » imitation antiquities; « Calumet, » a square tint-face ornamented; « Corean, » the same, solid-face; « Umbria, » a pretty tuscan, with tint-shade; « Lattice, » an imitation of steel-plate work; « Colgate, » a really pretty and graceful condensed eccentric, with lower-case—besides other styles; already described in these columns. Among the combinations, we notice two series of « Élite » ornaments, already favorably mentioned in our pages, and some of the new and pretty « Leaflet » borders. Among the more recent faces is the « Dormer, » a very peculiar and striking job letter with lower case, « Princeton, » a good job style; and « Yale, » a heavy and not very pretty condensed, with unreasonably heavy end-ornaments.

The enterprising Central Typefoundry, St. Louis, shews a good many new styles. The best, to our mind, is « Lafayette, » in seven sizes, with lower case—a condensed style, original in design and somewhat eccentric; but striking and legible. This letter will become very popular. The « Earle » is a new type-writer face, to the usual 12-point size, and a larger, or 14-point style, is also shewn. « Heading » (48-point) is a fine bold square-cut roman, without lower-case or figures.—Any printer who would like to introduce a few modern faces into his office, to harmonize well with each other, and be free from extravagance, could not do better than lay in a full series of these four styles—the « Victoria, » « Atlanta, » « Washington, » and « Lafayette. » They are not likely to go out of fashion; for it will be long before they are superseded by anything better.

The Boston Typefoundry (in which the Central has now acquired a controlling interest), shows some novel styles. « Rogers » (48-point) is a peculiar letter. The letters are all one width or « set, » and the serifs slope up in one set of letters, and down in another, to the extent of a nonpareil. The lines thus run up or down as desired, at an angle of one in eight, with a minimum of trouble in justification, or if preferred the letters can be set in straight lines, which gives them a peculiar perspective effect. « Quincy, » (48-point), is a free and heavy upright script, in imitation of a careless but very legible handwriting. « Makart » is a heavy square-cut condensed with lower-case blacker and less ornamental than the « Lafayette. »

The Union Typefoundry, Chicago, show four sizes of « Palisade, » a neat ornamental light roman. « Esthetic » ornaments, five sorts, are more peculiar than pretty. The various sizes of « Foster, » « Star, « Amhaggar, » and « Astral » ornaments lately described in our pages are from the same house.

Marder, Luse & Co. have brought out three styles of a peculiar and striking letter called « Hiawatha » —something between a fancy roman and the German « Schwabacher. » It is furnished with eleven very quaint and curious word-ornaments. We believe this style will have a « run. »

Messrs Golding show a novelty in the shape of combination tint-blocks, to pica bodies. For rectangular work they are set up like ordinary quads; for irregular-shaped panels, the outside pieces are cut away as may be necessary.

From Messrs Lespinasse & Ollière, Paris, we have specimens of beautifully-cut old-style roman and italic founts, with and without lower-case, from 28- to 72-point. An accompanying note informs us that the series is complete down to 5-point. The design is original, and does great credit to the artist. We have seen no better series of this class of letter anywhere, and it is well worthy the attention of printers who have old-style body-founts, but have neglected to provide themselves with the larger sizes. Not long ago we saw a job in old-style completely spoiled by an incongruous modern-face initial.

We note, from specimens to hand, that Schelter & Giesecke's border No. 74 (shewn in our June supplement), contains 20 characters, and is made up in founts of about 10lb and 5lb respectively. It is arranged to space to a nonpareil em.