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Recent Specimens.

We have received this month from Mr H. Wesselhoeft, the English agent for a number of German foundries, a parcel of large and beautiful specimen-sheets, representing novelties by Schelter & Giesecke, Flinsch, Berger, and Numrich. Those from the first-named firm have all been described in previous issues of Typo. From Flinsch, Frankfort on the Main (some of whose specimens have already appeared in our pages) we have a neat series of combination corners, containing 30 characters, shown with two plain borders, including 8 more; also a large sheet displaying the artistic « Rococo » border in gold and colors, but no synopsis of characters.

From Emil Berger we have two large sheets, one showing the synopsis of characters of his fine « Renaissance » border (described on p. 73 of this volume), and the other—a magnificent piece of work—showing it tastefully displayed in gold and colors. Also, a set of 31 artistic decorated scroll ornaments, of large size, which are intended for use with brass-rule to form a border, and in connexion with these are shown six large and very pretty corner vignettes.

The large sheet from Numrich & Co., Leipzig, is the first we have seen from this house. It exhibits a border in three sections, and containing 68 characters, called the « Victoria. » At first sight it does not look very different from a hundred other German combinations; but closer examination reveals the ingenuity with which it is devised, and its great beauty of detail. The first section, of 23 characters, is a simple silhouette border; the second is exactly complementary—the same designs in white on solid ground. Either can be used independently, and both together in colors, with fine effect. It is in the boundary border, or third section, that the ingenuity of the designer is shown. By a clever arrangement of dissected curves and angles he has made effects possible in straight-ahead composition which exactly resemble those hitherto produced only by curving and mitering the sorts. The whole border is in perfect taste, and is beautifully displayed by the compositor.

Messrs Caslon & Co. send us a beautiful card in gold and tints, exhibiting the new « Roman » combination, of which, as we have already noted, they are the English proprietors.

Mr A. Sauvé has brought out a very pretty series of « Sunflower » initials, square, with appropriate bracket- and corner-ornaments to correspond. They are in two sizes, four-line and eight-line, and as they are both artistic in design and moderate in price, will be sure to come into favor.

We have little in the way of novelty from the United States Messrs Barnhart Bros. & Spindler show in four sizes a heavy-faced eccentric (modified sanserif) with lower-case in three sizes, under the name of « La Salle. »

The Central Typefoundry shows a very beautiful series of plain roman faces, somewhat broad in set. The pica (No. 6) in particular strikes us as the cleanest and prettiest-faced pica we have seen—a delightful letter for book-work. The four smaller sizes (down to pearl) correspond in all respects. « University » is a broad light-faced roman—another beautiful face—in four sizes. « Webster » is as regards the caps, a lighter form of the popular « Washington » design, while the lower-case is a variation on the « Kismet. » The « Cushing Old-style » is an old-face light ionic, suitable for side-heads and emphasised words in old-style work.

A series of irregular patterns of borders, in imitation of « Alligator » and other eccentric tint-grounds is shown in some of our exchanges. They are the most successful and the neatest of. this class that have yet appeared; but the supply-houses advertising them give no hint as to the founder, nor any particulars as to number of characters.