 |
| click to enlarge |
As I've been sharing my collection of antique advertising with you, I've usually concentrated on the fronts of trade cards, which are often beautiful examples of 19th century lithography.
But the backs are sometimes just as spectacular in their decoration and lettering. They're also very imaginative in their design. Look, for example, at the "L" in "Liverpool!"
You'll notice that all of the examples I share in this posting have curved lettering and some degree of bannering.
This example comes from a very small card, only about two inches high. It's greatly enlarged for your viewing.
One final observation that I'd make is that almost all of the typography shown here (if indeed not all of it) is hand-lettered. Just one more reason that I enjoy collecting and studying these little marvels!
.
Dear Mark, Hand lettering, an almost lost art. Computers have made it so easy. I was trained as a topographic draftsman in East Germany. Part of my training was a year of hand lettering. I still use those skills when adding lettering to my ceramics.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing such innovative and interesting lettering styles.
Dear Gina,
DeleteI'm sure that, like me, you are grateful to have learned lettering in a pre-computer time. Having done that (I set hot metal type by hand, just the way Ben Franklin did) has actually made me better on the computer, where I often make subtle adjustments in kerning.
These are all wonderful, Mark. I especially love the Day & Martin font that almost sparkles. Any one of these would be great enlarged and used as art.
ReplyDeleteHi, Steve - That Day and Martin piece is sparkly, isn't it? I have a number of Victorian cards that would actually take on a Pop Art flavor if they were enlarged. Maybe that should be my next financial venture!
DeleteDear Mark,
ReplyDeleteWhat an excellent post! I could loom at and study these hand drawn fonts all day long. Once again, you're tempting me to avoid my work! :) I agree with what's been said here so far: so much opportunity for individuality and variation has been lost by over-dependence on computers-- a brilliant tool can become a limiting crutch... I wonder if the most avant-garde work in typography might come from a return to hand lettering?
Warm regards,
Erika
Dear Erika,
DeleteI think your point of view, which is my own, is being embraced by many more designers today. I can see it just on book jackets. At the risk of keeping you away from your work for even longer periods, I'd like to recommend an exciting blog on hand lettering:
http://chic-type.com/blog/
ello Mark, Concentrating on the typography in these old ads you present, I notice now how much of the effects, both in the letters and arabesques, come from the nib-type pens.
ReplyDeleteIn contrast, Chinese letters are traditionally written with brushes, and their typography and design, even the basic system of meaning in Chinese calligraphy and art, originates in the brushstrokes.
--Road to Parnassus
Hello, Jim,
DeleteActually, much of the typography in this posting was achieved by reversing the lettering onto a lithograph stone.
As I say in my side bar page on trade cards . . .
According to the Edinburgh City of Print, "Lithography is the art of printing from stone. ...By writing or drawing with a greasy ink on a specially prepared slab of limestone, the grease is absorbed by the stone and the image thus formed has an affinity for printing ink, while the remaining parts of the stone repel the ink as long as the surface is kept moist with water."
That such fine arabesques were achieved in this manner is pretty amazing, I think.
I agree: just as spectacular as the images on the front. Especially the Day and Martin one which reminds me of details from Eastlake Victorian architecture. Many years ago, I worked at the Freer and Sackler's publications department. I had so much fun watching the art director and graphic designers design typefaces.
ReplyDeleteHi, Loi,
DeleteMy first job was with an advertizing studio that employed a full-time type designer (not a calligrapher). I, too, enjoyed watching his projects. Incidentally, before the advent of computers, I did some hand-lettering on curves — like the Victorian pieces of this post — and I can attest that it requires some extra finesse!