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Design in Typography
LVIII.
Architectural Combinations.

Judging from their extensive sale, architectural combinations must have found considerable favor with printers; but we believe that notwithstanding the ingenuity that has been lavished on these designs—particularly in Germany, where they seem to have originated —no class of typographic decorative material is found in practical use so disappointing. The splendid displays in the specimen-books tempt buyers; but it is soon found that in the ordinary work of the printing-office these designs are rarely appropriate, that when they are, the adjuncts of rule-work and tint-grounds that made the specimen so attractive are not available; that if they were, the customer would not pay for them; that important characters are insufficient in number or mislaid; that the justifiers run out; and, lastly, that there is not a compositor in the office who can grapple successfully with the combination. So it lies neglected, the costly types gathering dust and gradually drifting from case to case, in hopeless confusion. At first, some design in the book being taken as a guide, the Corinthian columns and classic frieze adorn a bootmaker's circular, or come out on the cover of a flower-show catalogue, after which the whole thing drops into oblivion. We have already said that architectural designs proper are radically unsuitable for movable types—that the better the compositor is acquainted with the principles of architectural construction the more hopeless he is of producing a harmonious result with materials arranged much on the principle of a child's box of building-blocks. For one printed design in which due proportion and just balance are observed, there are hundreds in which the result is only a melancholy monument of wasted time. We have no wish to depreciate the artistic skill of the designers of these combinations, nor can we fail to recognize the beauty of detail and exquisite execution of many of the borders in question—we only assert that there are forms of decoration for which printers' types are necessarily unsuitable and inadequate, and architectural design—that is, the construction of dwellings, temples, porticos, and colonnades—comes into the category.

We therefore need not apologise for touching very briefly on a subject with which, if treated at length, we might fill many columns. In all the departments of display we have drawn upon a large and representative stock of illustrative material; in the line of architectural designs we have very little, having always recognized that the plainer designs possessed greater practical value. To deal thoroughly with the subject, each design would require separate consideration, and much might be said in regard to the rules to be observed and the errors to be avoided. All we can do, therefore, is to give an outline of the succession and evolution of these designs, so far as our knowledge extends.

In the fullest sense of the term, Architectural Designs would include a large sectien of the ordinary running borders. The earliest type-engravers took their models from classic friezes and mouldings; and some of the borders in vogue as late as the beginning of the present century are very heavy and massive examples of this kind of decoration. But the architectural border proper, as now in fashion, belongs to the sudden and surprising outburst of activity in type-decorative designs that started in Germany some twelve years ago, and has in a very brief space wrought a revolution in artistic typography. We had not at that time the same knowledge of the great German houses that we now possess, nor anything like our present opportunities of becoming acquainted with their work; but we think that we are right in ranking Schelter & Giesecke's Grecian combination (1878) as the first of the series; and in this and the Florentine (to which we intend referring more particularly under the head of « Renaissance Borders ») is to be found the germ of all succeeding architectural combinations. The Grecian contained two sections, with a total of 139 characters; it was wrought in combination with the Florentine and with several other allied designs, and its artistic merits, supplemented by consummate skill in display and the free use of rule and appropriate ornament, led to a world-wide demand for the novelty. It was followed in 1882 by the beautiful and costly Akanthea, 195 characters, by the same enterprising house. This border was divided into four sections, and the first and second, including 56 characters, were cast treble, for two- and three-color work.

In 1878 Messrs Conner's Sons & Co., of New York, brought out the Arcade and Colonnade designs, referred to and partly illustrated in our columns last year. The only other American design of an architectural character is of quite a different stamp—the Architectural Combination of the Cleveland Foundry. With this can be built up a modern shop-front or factory—chimneys and all. It is to pica, and contains only 24 characters.

As a kind of adjunct to the Florentine and Grecian, Messrs Schelter & Giesecke brought out a series of Gable Ornaments, 15 characters, solid and stippled. This was followed by a series of Architectural Ornaments (30 characters), which came into great favor, the single characters, especially the corner-brackets, being capable of being used independently. Several combinations by other German houses, very similar in style, have since appeared.

The crowning effort of the kind, however, appears to be the great Germania border (1888), by Klinkhardt, designed by Professor Hugo Ströhl. It cannot make any great claim to originality, as it has adapted, in some cases with but slight alteration, nearly every architectural character in previous combinations; but with such amplifications and additions that it reaches the imposing total of 413 characters, and a minimum font weighs about 651b. Notwithstanding its cost, it has had a large sale, and there are few towns in New Zealand where this combination is not to be found. We may add that with characteristic thoroughness, the founder has supplied a quarto book of sixteen pages, containing numerous illustrative designs, minute instructions for use, a glossary of architectural terms, and some hints as to the due proportions to be observed. To the ordinary English comp, however, the minute printed instructions, being in the German language, are a sealed book. We need not dilate on the beauties of this border, having described it when it first appeared. The name of Professor Ströhl is a sufficient indication of the beauty and accuracy of detail of the design, and that of the great Leipzig foundry of the quality of mechanical execution. The name of the designer of Schelter & Giesecke's beautiful architectural borders is unknown to us.

All the German combinations that we have noted are classical in page 134their detail; but one German house—Rudhard—has essayed the Gothic style, and produced a very remarkable and effective combination in 71 characters. Its range in practical use, however, must be very limited, and we have not met with it outside the specimen-book. Another Gothic combination, somewhat in the same style' but more minute in detail, containing 73 characters, is found in Flinsch's specimen-book. There are other designs of the architectural class, some of which have been recorded from time to time in our pages—but those that we have named are sufficient to give a fair idea of the whole.