Slab Serifs, Egyptian and Antique Typefaces, and Napoleon Bonaparte
At the close of the 18th century Napoleon Bonaparte attempted to establish a French pressence in the Middle East. Although his campaign was only partially successful, the availability of Egyptian images caused a huge increase in interest in Egyptian culture. Slab serif typefaces became known as 'Egyptian' although there was no resemblance or relationship between the slab serif types and Egyptian writing. In France and Germany the term became 'Egyptienne'.
The first slab serif type was produced by the English typefounder Vincent Figgins around 1815-17. He called the typeface 'Antique' but, due to the Egyptian craze, other typefounders called their slab serif typefaces 'Egyptian'. Because in England the term Egptian had already been used for sans-serif typefaces 'Antique' remained the name of slab serif fonts. American type founders also used the term Antique.
Slab serifs are generally thick and block-like and don't usually have a bracket connecting the stoke, or stem, of the letter to the serif. Slab serif typefaces can be further divided into three subgroups:
Clarendon model - these typefaces have a little bracketting. The serif may vary in size. Examples are Clarendon, Egyptienne;
Neo-grotesque model - these typefaces have no bracketting. Stems and serifs are evenly weighted. Examples are Rockwell, Memphis;
Italienne model - these typefaces have serifs that are heavier than the stems. The effect is dramatic. These types often have a 'western' appearance. Examples are Playbill and western-era posters, wanted posters.
Typewriter Typefaces
Typewriter typefaces are also examples of slab serif fonts. Courier is an example. Industrial Change
At the close of the 18th century Napoleon Bonaparte attempted to establish a French pressence in the Middle East. Although his campaign was only partially successful, the availability of Egyptian images caused a huge increase in interest in Egyptian culture. Slab serif typefaces became known as 'Egyptian' although there was no resemblance or relationship between the slab serif types and Egyptian writing. In France and Germany the term became 'Egyptienne'.
The first slab serif type was produced by the English typefounder Vincent Figgins around 1815-17. He called the typeface 'Antique' but, due to the Egyptian craze, other typefounders called their slab serif typefaces 'Egyptian'. Because in England the term Egptian had already been used for sans-serif typefaces 'Antique' remained the name of slab serif fonts. American type founders also used the term Antique.
Slab serifs are generally thick and block-like and don't usually have a bracket connecting the stoke, or stem, of the letter to the serif. Slab serif typefaces can be further divided into three subgroups:
Clarendon model - these typefaces have a little bracketting. The serif may vary in size. Examples are Clarendon, Egyptienne;
Neo-grotesque model - these typefaces have no bracketting. Stems and serifs are evenly weighted. Examples are Rockwell, Memphis;
Italienne model - these typefaces have serifs that are heavier than the stems. The effect is dramatic. These types often have a 'western' appearance. Examples are Playbill and western-era posters, wanted posters.
Typewriter Typefaces
Typewriter typefaces are also examples of slab serif fonts. Courier is an example. Industrial Change
The Industrial Revolution is often seen as a black hole in the history of typography. During the 19th century manufacturing processes became mechanised. The most notable change to typefaces at this time was the introduction of the Slab serif designs, many of which were newspaper fonts. The strengthened serif prevented damage during printing. The newly-created mass market provided increasing demand for a variety of printed products including newspapers, advertisements, posters and other publications. The second wave of the Industrial Revolution was fully felt in the early 1800s. Improved metallurgical techniques and steam-power saw the development of machine tools which enabled metal parts to be easily and accurately cut and manufacturing machines to be built. Typography and printing, once crafts, became part of industry. The role of the punchcutter changed to that of a largely unskilled factory worker.
The invention of lithography in 1796 by Alois Senefelder initially had limited impact on printing because of technical difficulties but these were soon overcome. Senefelder then experimented with colour lithography but multi-colour printing, called chromolithography, was not developed until 1837. It was introduced by Godefroy Engelmann in France. This method was well suited to reproducing large areas of flat colour, therefore leading to the large poster designs characteristic of this period.
The inventions of the Linotype machine (Ottmar Mergenthaler, 1886) and the Monotype machine (Tolbert Lanston, 1887) resulted in the end of manual typesetting as composition and typography were no longer manual tasks.
Nineteenth Century Designers and Engravers of Type
William E. Loy was an American type vendor, printer and writer who was unhappy that typeface designers received very little credit. In 1896 he started publishing a series of articles that profiled leading type designers. 'Nineteenth Century Designers and Engravers of Type' republishes the complete series of Loy's articles together with more typefaces Loy was unable to include.
Typeface design increased rapidly at this time due to the introduction of large type foundries and type manufacturers. Typefaces, if successful and trademarked, were used to 'brand' products and publications. Also at this time graphic design became a separate entity to typography.
Art Nouveau
The 'Art Nouveau' movement became popular towards the end of the 19th century. It was characterised by stylized organic motifs inspired by flowers and plants. In Germany the style was known as 'Jugendstil' (German for 'youth style'), while in Italy it was called 'Stile Liberty', after the Liberty & Co. store in London.
The invention of lithography in 1796 by Alois Senefelder initially had limited impact on printing because of technical difficulties but these were soon overcome. Senefelder then experimented with colour lithography but multi-colour printing, called chromolithography, was not developed until 1837. It was introduced by Godefroy Engelmann in France. This method was well suited to reproducing large areas of flat colour, therefore leading to the large poster designs characteristic of this period.
The inventions of the Linotype machine (Ottmar Mergenthaler, 1886) and the Monotype machine (Tolbert Lanston, 1887) resulted in the end of manual typesetting as composition and typography were no longer manual tasks.
Nineteenth Century Designers and Engravers of Type
William E. Loy was an American type vendor, printer and writer who was unhappy that typeface designers received very little credit. In 1896 he started publishing a series of articles that profiled leading type designers. 'Nineteenth Century Designers and Engravers of Type' republishes the complete series of Loy's articles together with more typefaces Loy was unable to include.
Typeface design increased rapidly at this time due to the introduction of large type foundries and type manufacturers. Typefaces, if successful and trademarked, were used to 'brand' products and publications. Also at this time graphic design became a separate entity to typography.
Art Nouveau
The 'Art Nouveau' movement became popular towards the end of the 19th century. It was characterised by stylized organic motifs inspired by flowers and plants. In Germany the style was known as 'Jugendstil' (German for 'youth style'), while in Italy it was called 'Stile Liberty', after the Liberty & Co. store in London.
