03.04.10
The first mixed lot I bought has a handful of letters in this outlined typeface. It’s the only outlined typeface I have, and I wish I had a complete set. It’s rather tiny, just over 1 in. tall. Blowing up tiny faces to this size reveals a lot of tiny inconsistencies, like the stroke weight, which varies wildly in various places. I love the serifs all lined up at the top, and how the left side of the stroke is thinner than the rest. It makes it more interesting than a very geometric, rigid letterform with a perfectly uniform stroke.
I also love the stacked router marks on the bottom of the shoulder. They make the block look so structural. I can’t imagine the skill required to knock out the counters in the serifs, to square off the top portion without harming the curve along the bottom.
Style: Unknown Outlined
Style first appeared: Unknown
Size:8 line
Manufacturer: Unknown
Manufacturing Method: Pantograph
Is it part of a complete set? No
2 Comments on “Outlined W”
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David Shields
Pretty sure this is Poster Cheltenham Bold Condensed Outline (Hamilton No 746) or Poster Cheltenham Bold Extra Condensed Outline (Hamilton No 744). Hamilton first started showing Cheltenham and Cheltenham Bold (licensed from ATF) in the teens. Hamilton expanded the series to include a range of condensed and condensed outlined styles in the early 1920s. The solid & outline styles were used together for 2 color chromatic printing.
A few of Hamilton’s early 20th c. competitors (Empire Type Foundry, Eastern Brass & Wood Type and American Wood Type Mfg Co.) also all showed a regular and condensed Cheltenham, but no indication that they also carried outline styles.
03-06-10 » 3:50 pm »
Bethany
Thanks for the analysis, Mr. Shields. I looked through my type this weekend to see if I have the solid blocks that accompanied the outlined faces, but the only solid Cheltenham I have is slightly less condensed. Perhaps this Extra condensed. Were outlined styles used exclusively for chromatic prints, or were they used on their own in some instances?
03-08-10 » 10:11 am »