Type Specimens

An English typefounder, in a letter just to hand, writes: « The worst of the typefounders' craft is that he has to produce what is asked for. I am convinced that what is wanted is to educate the reading public to be critical about the type they read. If they only knew what they wanted themselves, the printers and the typefounders would soon be found to give it them. » All honor we think is due to those who have given careful and systematic study to the subject, prominent among whom is the eminent Parisian printer, M. Claude Motteroz. As we mentioned last month, he has been good enough to send us a complete set of « Spécimens de Caractères Motteroz, as well as a number of beautiful books printed in these types. Those who have set about improving the style of types have always taken as their guide one of two objects—beauty and legibility—according as the utilitarian or æsthetic quality predominated; and every style of letter in use may be taken as representing a compromise between the two: for it is an evident fact that the most beautiful types are not the most readable. M. Motteroz makes legibility his primary object, and his method of testing the point—ascertaining what particular form of letter is distinguishable at the greatest distance—seems to be sound. We should much like to be able to show a few lines of these types in the English language; for no description can give a true idea of unknown forms. In the first place the types are of the general form known to English printers as « French face; » they differ in several respects from the modern romans without being a reversion to the old-style. They resemble the letters of Bodoni and Firmin Didot more than any others with which we are acquainted. As in the types of these « old masters, » the ascending and descending portions of the letters are long, and it is therefore, as DeVinne says of the old models, « wasteful of space. » The most characteristic feature, and the one to which the designer attaches the most importance, is the protraction of the body-marks. In this respect it is more like the first Caslon's letters than either of the others we have named; but the characteristic is carried to a greater extent than in the Caslon types. In most modern romans the perpendiculars of the n and u are united by a hair-line, which disappears at a short distance, when the letters cannot be distinguished. In the Motteroz type, the connecting line is gradually tapered until it joins the main stem, and is so thick in the central part that there is no possibility of confounding the two letters. The only other feature we note is the peculiarity of the serifs. They are thin, perfectly flat, and so short as to be almost invisible. The cap I is almost like a sanserif. This is, we think, the weakest point of the character, and except that it leaves the m, n, u, &c, a little more open, we do not see that it is to be defended even on the ground of legibility. The serifs, even in the largest size, are insignificant, as if they were a feature to be ashamed of. The thin flat serif is held by all critics to be the weakest point both of the Bodoni and Didot styles, and it is even weaker in the Motteroz letters. A bracketed serif, after the best English models, would have made a more beautiful letter; a stub-serif—such as was abandoned in the seventeenth century, and has been revived in our own day in the « latins, » —would have been more in keeping with the style, and would not, we think, have detracted from its legibility. The y is of a peculiar form. From the v portion descends a perfectly perpendicular hair-line, with a dot at the end. In his attempt to produce a bold, legible, and thoroughly characteristic letter, M. Motteroz has certainly been successful. Excepting the atrophied serifs (which we fear are ill-adapted for wear), there is nothing weak about the style.

From Brendler & Marklowsky we have No. 2 of Wiener Typen. In reviewing their grand specimen-book, and remarking upon the beautiful display of scripts, we noted that there were no examples of German script. The first thing that strikes us in this number is an original and very beautiful series, shown under the name of Currenschrift. It is cast to 36·, 28·, and 20·, and 18· is in preparation, Mammut is an exceptionally wide roman, with lowercase, seven sizes. Inseraten-Cursiv is a kind of poster-script, very heavy, resembling the letters lately shown by Caslon. It is provided with large sweeping terminal flourishes. Eight sizes, 16· to 84·, Halbfette Fraktur, on pearl body, is a beautifully-cut heavy German text, well adapted for lexicon-work. A pretty set of Gothic Initials, of moderate size, adorned with outline floral and figure sketches, is shown; also several sizes of Altdeutsche flourished German text initials. There is a choice variety of original groundworks, the details in most cases being after American designs. Two of these groundworks, 1345 and 1356, are the first attempts at representing mat or plaited work that we have seen. Borders, series 2, on 12· and 24·, 36 characters in all, are simple and useful. The Maurischen border is a grand combination, but so large and heavy as to be suitable only for work on a large scale. It contains 43 characters, mostly on 72·. The details are rich and effective, and there is an excellent supply of corners.

Whatever Messrs Schelter & Giesecke take in hand they carry out well, and the new series of Corner- and Centre-Vignettes, of which 33 examples are shown in one of our trade contemporaries, are no exception. Nothing finer in their way has yet appeared. There are some beautiful winter scenes, 10764 and 10793 are particularly good; Christmas bells, &c., landscape- and sea-sketches, cattle, &c. 10796 is a gem; so is 10744, a turned-up scroll corner showing a little skiff on a calm sea in the broad band of light from the moon on the horizon. 10724 and 10760, large corners with railway-tunnel and viaduct in a background of mountain scenery, and 10727, a fine steamer approaching the pier, have suggestions for commercial as well as æsthetic uses.

Messrs Ramm & Seeman, whose pretty series of floral vignettes we noted a few months ago, have sent us a parcel of specimen sheets of their electrotypes for art printing, and we have never seen a better collection. Seven sheets are occupied with corners, centres, and side-vignettes for circulars, some of large size. There are roses, water-plants, dragon-flies, butterflies, most realistic spiders, frogs, birds, &c., and all in excellent taste. Seven very large sheets are devoted entirely to head- and tail-pieces, of which there is a wide choice, some of the designs being repeated in three sizes. The animal figures in the headpieces are full of spirit. A feature in this collection is, that most of the headpieces have an appropriate tail-piece, in which the same motive is to be found. The series of little vignettes numbered 331-356 is a charming collection. Besides the collection of electros, numbering some hundreds, there are specimens of electro-typed silhouette borders, accurately adapted to the Didot standard, and sets of Renaissance and Gothic initials.

The Actiengesellschaft für Schriftgiesserei und Maschinen-bau, Offenbach-on-Main, send us eleven large specimen-sheets of novelties. Two of these are occupied with « Fraktur » or ordinary German, original faces. This style can scarcely be doomed at present, or founders would not continue to produce it. Nos. 1181-83 are of the same style, brevier, bourgeois, and long primer, condensed, and of very full face for the body, the descending portions of the letters being abridged until they almost disappear. This series is sharply-engraved, elegantly designed, and legible. 1184 is a long primer, a considerably broader style. Another sheet shows two Roman fonts, nonpareil and minion respectively. They are light, somewhat wide, and the descenders are in full proportion. The o of the minion is a little large, compared with the other letters. Two good series of sans with lowercase are shown, broad and condensed, in ten and eleven sizes respectively. There is a good variety of original scripts. Series 1295-1300, 14· to 36·, is a plain style with rather heavy down-strokes. It is on rhomboidal grooved bodies, avoiding kerns, and preventing the types from slipping when set. Rokoko script, five sizes, is similar in design, but lighter, and Halbfette page 90Rokoko is considerably heavier. An advance-proof contains specimens of an original heavy script, in four large sizes, 28· to 60·. It is a fine heading letter, and is in the standard style in use in England, which the others are not. Another advance-proof shows three sizes (12·, 16·, 24·) of a new Circular-Script, of which other sizes are in progress. It is not a true script, and has a very good effect. It is much like the « Renaissance-Gothic » of another German house, shown by us on p. 37, sloped, the caps modified into script forms, and large flourished and slotted extra caps added. These last we can scarcely regard as an improvement. The new combination, series 68, contains 64 characters, 6· to 24·. It contains nearly thirty separate running borders, each provided with the appropriate corner. They are all in perfect taste, and beautifully engraved, and will work singly or combined to any extent required. In no case is a second corner provided, which is a deficiency. 22-23, for example, has only the inner corner, and an outer one would double its usefulness; 24-25, 30-31, 32-33, have outer corners only, and would be the better for the inner corner also. Another sheet shows ten Carnival-Vignettes, more grotesque than beautiful. Favorite, a fancy Roman, is Marder, Luse, & Co.'s « Utopian » under another name. We are a little sorry to see it, as hitherto German founders have not adopted the plan of lining small letters from the centre instead of with the foot of the caps. In casting from American strikes, it has been the custom to alter the lining of fonts thus arranged.

Messrs J. M. Huck & Co., Offenbach-on-the-Main, show some Diagonal Corners of very pretty design. The idea is not new, being as old as MacKellar's « Zigzag » combination, but the German founder has improved on the idea by supplying them in pairs—rights and lefts. They are in various sizes, and in some the pattern, instead of being triangular, is a section of an ellipse. Gothic Shaded, five sizes, is very like MacKellar's « School Text » —the lowercase [unclear: s] in particular might be taken for the same—but the ornamentation and general form of the caps is different. The American letter is an excellent style, but only one size was ever cut. Rubricating Black (the German name we have not seen) is an extra-heavy Schwabacher. Latin Antique Rimmed is very like Stephenson, Blake, &

ABC

Co.'s « Shaded Latin, » with the addition of lowercase and small caps. We do not like the caps so well as those of the English design. The O, C, S, and other round letters rise too far above and sink too much below the line, giving the letter an uneven appearance. We believe that it is the usual custom to make these letters slightly larger, to satisfy the eye, but in this case it is certainly overdone.

Bauer, of Frankfort, has brought out a very pretty series of Diagonal Corners, nine pairs.

A new German combination called the Tasso is shown in an English exchange. We will refer to it more fully when we are able to give the name of the founder.

Caslon has followed up his popular Ivy border (24·, one character) with a National border, uniform in size and style, which will work with the Ivy, or by itself. It contains 3 characters, 24· square, Rose, Thistle, and Shamrock respectively, which may be arranged in any order desired. The floral figures are in silhouette, on a scrolled ground, and the design and execution are good. « A flush of novelties » —not quite ready at present—is promised in the next Circulur.

Harry Mitchell & Co., Edinburgh, continue to show a large and very choice selection of headpieces and vignettes by English artists.

Palmer & Rey, San Francisco, have long been known to us as an enterprising firm of dealers in printers' supplies; but we have not seen any new faces of type originated by them. We are glad to add their names to the list of producers of useful novelties. Eiffel Shade is a very neat and pretty condensed old-style latin, quite unlike any preceding style. It is in five sizes, 12· to 36·, and of course cast on the point system. It will be welcomed by artistic printers, as it is equally suited for the plainest and most ornamental work.

Marder, Luse, & Co. show Columbia Old Style, an extended flourished roman with lowercase. Clean-cut, quaint, with no special feature of originality. Five sizes, 10· to 36·.

The Railway Commissioners have been denounced, not only by a section of the press, but by a member of the Ministry, for sending home for locomotives. A late experience in South Australia would seem to show that their action was justified. A large order for locomotives was lately given to an Adelaide firm, at a cost of 60 per cent. more than the imported article. When the contract was completed, it turned out that the whole of the advanced cost, besides the usual profit, had gone into the pockets of the manufacturers. The workmen were paid at the same rate as their fellow-workmen at home.