THE HANDY BOOK Of ARTISTIC PRINTING HANDY BOOK THE Of Artistic Printing A ColleCtion of letterpress e xAmples wITH SPECImENS Of Type, OrnamenT, COrner Fills, BOrders, TwisTers, wrinklers, AND OTHER FreAKs OF FANcY. Doug Clouse angela Voulangas by anD Princeton ArchitecturAl Press • new York Published by No part of this book may be used Special thanks to: Nettie Aljian, Sara Bader, Nicola Bednarek, Janet Behning, Princeton Architectural Press or reproduced in any manner Becca Casbon, Carina Cha, Penny (Yuen Pik) Chu, Carolyn Deuschle, Russell 37 East Seventh Street without written permission from the Fernandez, Pete Fitzpatrick, Wendy Fuller, Jan Haux, Clare Jacobson, Aileen New York, New York 10003 publisher, except in the context Kwun, Linda Lee, Laurie Manfra, John Myers, Katharine Myers, Lauren Nelson of reviews. Packard, Dan Simon, Jennifer Thompson, Paul Wagner, Joseph Weston, and Deb For a free catalog of books, Wood of Princeton Architectural Press —Kevin C. Lippert, publisher call 1.800.722.6657. Every reasonable attempt has been Visit our web site at made to identify owners of copyright. www.papress.com Errors or omissions will be corrected in subsequent editions. © 2009 Doug Clouse and Angela Voulangas Editing: Nancy Eklund Later All rights reserved Design: Doug Clouse and Printed and bound in China Angela Voulangas 12 11 10 09 4 3 2 1 First edition Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Clouse, Doug. The handy book of artistic printing : a collection of letterpress examples, with specimens of type, ornament, corner fills, borders, twisters, and other freaks of fancy / by Doug Clouse & Angela Voulangas. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-56898-705-7 (alk. paper) 1. Letterpress printing—United States—History—19th century. 2. Graphic design (Typography)—United States—History—19th century. 3. Type and type founding—United States—Samples. 4. Printers’ ornaments—United States—Samples. I. Voulangas, Angela. II. Title. Z208.C58 2009 686.2’312—dc22 2008039574 INTRODuCTION page 11 Artistic printing is defined CHAPTER 1 page 15 BECOmING “ARTISTIC” Britain and America partake of design reform...aesthetic considerations gladden the home and the page... printing aspires to heights of artistry and taste...America excels CHAPTER 2 page 35 ELEmENTS Of ARTISTIC PRINTING Distinctive fittings and appointments of the practice materialize... composition compartmentalizes...typefaces and ornaments abound... novel colors and experimental printing processes proliferate page 57 SPECImENS Diverse samples of artistic printing, gleaned from the best sources, are described and celebrated CHAPTER 3 page 167 “QuITE TOO AwfuL” Critics express distaste and level judgment against the style...in a turn of events, printing calls upon the imprimatur of history CHAPTER 4 page 179 THE ETHICS Of ORNAmENT Freaks and caprices are decried...popular taste is disdained...ornament is questioned... anxieties weigh heavy and contamination is feared CONCLuSION page 195 Ornament is reclaimed NOTES and BIBLIOGRAPHY page 203 Numerous citations of import, expert sources, arcana, are presented for the reader’s edification APPENDIx page 209 A selection of typefaces is included for contemplation and emulation ACKNOwLEDGmENTS This book could not have come into being without the generosity of the stewards of archives in New York City and New Haven. J. Fernando Peña of The Grolier Club of New York and Jae Jennifer Rossman of the Arts of the Book Collection at Yale University’s Sterling Memorial Library helped us to acquire images. Robert Warner of Bowne & Co. Stationers, part of the South Street Seaport Museum, showed us the mechanics, quirks, and possibilities of letterpress printing and made the museum’s library available to us. Stephen Saxe was exceptionally generous in opening his home and making his invaluable collection available to curious inquirers. Wayne Furman and David Smith eased research at the New York Public Library. Friends kindly donated their expertise: Tom McWilliam tutored us in photography; Paul D’Agostino and, especially, Robert Wright, provided photographic ingenuity; Sam Markham led us to image sources; Rita Jules entered text corrections; and Diane DeBlois at the This chapter head from Bright Ephemera Society of America introduced us to helpful and Happy Homes: A Household Guide and Companion, by Peter collectors of artistic printing. Steven Heller kindly Parley, Jr., (1881), represents offered advice and inspired us to persevere. artistic printing’s predilection for borders, compartmentalized Finally, while we know how fiercely independent pattern, and in-filled ornament. nineteenth-century America believed itself to be in The modern, layered arrangement matters of artistic printing, these two Americans are of ornamental borders (overleaf greatly indebted to the British Printing Historical left), culled from the Printers’ International Specimen Exchanges Society for having faith in our project and awarding us (1880–98), would likely have much needed funds to continue. been viewed as ill-considered and unfinished to the nineteenth- century eye. Similarly, a page from Specimens of Printing Types, Borders, Cuts, Rules, &c., by the MacKellar, Smiths & Jordan type foundry (1868; overleaf, right) and featuring ornament ganged up and arranged for selling, seems oddly composed by today’s standards.