This folded city map of Vienna was issued by Kaufhäuser Brüder Haber (KBH) in 1930. The department store was established by the Brothers Haber. At the time, there were two locations: a clothing store at Neubaugasse 24 and one for furniture and home decor at Mariahilferstrasse 90, both in the central VII. District.

The map measures 44×39 cm when opened. On the outside, KBH advertise their offerings and depict the buildings. While the extracondensed textura for the title is lettering, most text is set in two weights of Nova, an in-house design first cast by the Berthold foundry around 1924, in roman, italic, and bold styles. Nick Curtis digitized the bold weight as Maple Leaf Rag NF in 2013. The addresses on the cover use Lo-Schrift, another design with rugged contours. Conceived by Louis Oppenheim and issued by Berthold in 1914, it was revived by Erik Spiekermann in 1980, under the name LoType. Berthold had a branch in Vienna since 1905.

Being Jewish, members of the Haber family had to flee the Nazis. The company was “aryanized” under the pretext of tax evasion, and in 1939, the Habers emigrated to Palestine. They returned in 1948, and for a while, Georg Haber (1938–2019) worked in the parental department store. He later served as director of Vienna’s Jewish Museum.

Nova as shown in Printing Types of the World, 1931:

Nova. An irregular outline characterizes this letter and gives it the appearance of a very old face. For this reason it looks exceptionally good in association with old wood-cuts or old historical copy. It is also specially applicable to print in connection with furniture, art, china, and any other trades with ancient connections. “Nova” was introduced in 1924 and was immediately a great success in application to luxury appeals.

A very deferential address (“Euer Wohlgeboren” translates to something like “Your Worshipfulness!”) and an unkerned W

Ladies coats and costumes / credit for all occupational class and spot prices on partial payment

Suits and Ulster coats from the in-house custom tailor shop

“We offer huge selection! Lowest prices! Quality goods! Individual advice!”

The map was printed by “Bernhard [?], Wien, VII.”

E. Oettel, Philadelphia Reliable Fancy Bakery and Confectionery.
All kinds of Cakes, Pies, Creams, Water Ices, and Home Made Bread.
No. 506 Manor Street, Lancaster, Pa.
Special attention given to wedding and party orders.
Stands at Eastern, Central, and Southern Markets.

An elaborate business card printed by David Bachman Landis of Pluck Art Printery (later known as Landis Art Print) in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century.

The wavy, wiry vertical lines that Landis used to separate the “Special Attention” section on the left from the main “E. Oettel” portion of the card come from a set of “Capital Ornaments” dated 1891 that was available from the Barnhart Brothers & Spindler (BB&S) type foundry. Landis also used these separators in a number of other printed pieces. See, for instance, the following examples:

• Charles S. Frantz, Graduate Ophthalmic Optician, Watchmaker, and Jeweler, Lancaster, Pa.
• A. H. Herr, Mill Creek Dairy, Lancaster, Pa.
• J. M. Trout, Fire Sand Quarries, Landisville, Pennsylvania, ca. 1890s

BB&S also sold a set of “Brownies” characters that included the tiny owl in the upper left-hand corner.

Typefaces: Duerer (“Fancy Bakery and Confectionery”), Pynson (“All kinds of Cakes, Pies, Creams, Water Ices, and”), Hansard (“Home Made Bread”), Dante (“No. 506 Manor Street”), and Old Style Bold (“Lancaster, Pa.”). The unidentified typeface used here for “E. Oettel” appears to be the same as the one selected for “J. M. Trout” on the J. M. Trout, Fire Sand Quarries card [edit: it’s Eclipse Shaded].

I wonder, given the winter that lay ahead, if the Borough of Darwen’s Transport Department had any second thoughts of abandoning their last tramway in October 1946, and completing the replacement of their system with diesel buses given the state of the roads? I suspect it is unlikely as Darwen’s system was likely in poor condition after years of wartime demand and neglect and I suspect the trams would have gone some years earlier if war had not intervened.

It was a small system although it was, for a municipal electric network, an early started as the first car ran on 16 October 1900, a year after the Council had acquired the privately owned steam tram lines. This first route ran to neighbouring Blackburn and indeed joint operation of the ‘main line’ took place when that town electrified its share of the steam tramways that appears to have been the case from 1901. In that year Darwen opened the line to Hoddlesden and it was to be the first to close in 1937 and be replaced by buses, Darwen having first introduced such vehicles in 1926.

In 1940 the tramway service between Whitehall and Circus went but by then, with wartime controls on the delivery of new buses and also of diesel fuel, the tramway was expected to ‘carry on’ as it did. Blackburn’s last tram ran in 1949. The fleet interestingly included some very modern, streamlined cars with central entrances, that look very “Blackpool” in style. The booklet however is suitably “edwardian” in style to match the opening of the system with a gothic style typeface and much use of printers decorations. It also carries, with suitable municipal pomp, the names of the Mayor, the Chairman of the Transport Committee, that of the General Manager G Beckett, and the Town Clerk.

Printed by the local Wardleys (Printers) Ltd.

It is always lovely to see an RATP leaflet with the familiar artwork by Georges Redon who was one of their most prolific illustrators of the post-WW2 period. This is entitled Connaître Paris est votre rêve or “Knowing Paris is your dream” and describes a series of ‘tours’ available by using regular Paris daytime bus services as well as an advertisement for the excursion tours operated.

While the title on the front panel with Redon’s illustration of the Eiffel Tower uses lettering, most other text in this leaflet is typeset. Of the three typefaces in use, two are by the local Fonderie Typographique Française, or FTF for short, which at the time operated at 4 Rue Napoléon-Chaix in the 15th arrondissement.

The compressed oblique sans-serif caps with contrast are from the medium (demi-gras) weight of Enric Crous-Vidal’s Paris (1953). The pen script is Clipper (1952), designed by Louis Ferrand. All other text is set in various weights and widths of Monotype’s Gill Sans. It’s the version featuring alternates for M a g t u and other characters, bringing the design closer to Futura.

Printed by Imprimerie Hénon.

Detail

Detail

Made in 2023, Go-See: Mexico City by Diego Vourakis & Juan Duque is a limited run of twenty newsprints featuring a go-see style photoshoot that explores the unique faces and landscapes of the city.

Go-See: Mexico City captures the essence of the movement of the city and the faces that inhibit it. The typography is inspired by the timeless and ever-growing metropolis.

View the full publication on Instagram.

Photography by Diego Vourakis, creative direction by Juan Duque & AMILE.

Florentine is an Italian restaurant in Stockholm, Sweden, created by Urban Italian Group. We started the branding design by imagining Florentine as a woman from Florence who picks her own produce and local wine as a way to communicate the restaurant's commitment to quality and authenticity. The logo design is set with a bold typeface to match the retro feel of the interior, and has alternative versions for use on different mediums.

Our type choice for the main logo was Cubano to start out a bold identity, which was useful on the custom designed mosaic on the entrance. The branding is completed with Geomanist on the menu and hoarding designs. We used Carnaby Street (Beasts of England) typeface on menu and website titles to complement the word mark.

We are seeing illustrations of Florentine in a subtle way through the branding, trying out pasta, having a spoon of tiramisu and making Italian hand gestures, which added a playful feel to the brand and made it more inviting and approachable. We've created animations, such as clinking glasses and champagne towers to showcase the fun atmosphere of Florentine Trattoria. Using these on social media and web design to help catch the eye of the new customers and promote the restaurant's unique personality. The color palette inspired by the south of Italy was our choice to convey the warmth and richness of Italian cuisine.

One more specimen for our humble but growing collection of Henrietta in use – and the second one from the United Kingdom – via the Sainsbury Archive, where this teacakes label is dated “1970s–1980s”.

Henrietta is a photo-era typeface of unknown origin that was shown in 1980 by Phil’s Photo Inc., a type provider in Washington, DC. In 2022, Kyle Benson made a digital revival and expansion named VC Henrietta.

From kensfoods.com:

Ken’s is a family business that traces back to the basement of Ken’s Steak House, a restaurant in Framingham, Massachusetts that became known for its delicious salad dressings.

As of 2023, they offer more than sixty different flavors, from Apple Cider Vinaigrette to Zesty Italian. The “Ken’s Steak House” logo is in some Bookman with swashes. Judging from the a’s bowl and other details, it’s not Bookman Swash a.k.a. “Sixties Bookman” as offered by Letraset, VGC and others, though.

“Steakhouse Dressing” is in all-caps Goudy Oldstyle, with Futura for “1941”. The product names are shown in Raleigh. Ken’s uses these typefaces at least since 2008, and probably a lot longer than that. On current labels, the product category (like “Dressing”, for example) and other additional text appears to be in a squooshed ITC Berkeley Oldstyle Italic with swash caps and modifications.

Founded in 1903, HP is a UK based condiment company specializing in brown sauces. Their fruity sauce was introduced in 1969, and according to “Kitchen Hoarder / Bathroom Hoarder” this specific packaging which makes use of Henrietta likely stems from the 1980s. Fitting with the timeline, the HP logotype bears a striking resemblance to Cortez, however, the proportions appear slightly different. The small text at the bottom is set in Univers.

Grugapark is a central park in the city of Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It got its name from the first Große Ruhrländische Gartenbau-Ausstellung (“Great Ruhr Horticultural Exhibition”) that took place in 1929. The Milchgaststätte (“milk restaurant”) was also built for this event, after designs by architect and Werkbund member Paul Portten. After being destroyed in World War II, the park was reconstructed and hosted the second Gruga in 1952.

This advert mentioning “milk and milkshakes, coffee – cake – sandwiches” and praising the restaurant as “modern – cozy – sunny” must have been printed sometime after 1955: the calligraphic roman is Folkwang. Designed by Hermann Schardt, who was the director of the local Folkwang Werkkunstschule from 1946 to 1971, it was first cast by the Klingspor foundry in that year. With its single-story a and g, Folkwang resembles an upright italic. It here is used with ligatures for ff and ch – the latter appearing three times, but for some reason not in “Kuchen”.

Folkwang is paired with Gabriele, a pen script by Hans Möhring, first cast by Woellmer in 1938 and later continued by Weber. The flowing “Milch” script is lettering – see Butti’s Fluidum or Laura Meseguer’s Magasin for typefaces with a similar feel.

In 1989, the Milchgaststätte was converted into a playhouse for children. It was recently reopened after renovation works.

Fatima, Capitol, Supremo-Versalien

Active in Amsterdam in the 1920s–50s (and maybe later), P. van Dijk was a supplier of printing machines and materials, including typefaces. In the Tholenaar Collection at Letterform Archive are several leaflets and booklets from the company advertising type from the Dresden-based foundry Schriftguss.

This 1934 price list shows 16 type families alongside their sizes, weight, and prices. The title in Appell reads “De mooiste letersoorten voor Handels- en Reclamewerk van Schriftguss” (The most beautiful typefaces for commercial and advertising work from Schriftguss). For the company name at the top, one of Schriftguss’s typefaces, the Intermezzo, a novel display face with each letter segmented into two parts, is set in two colors, with a line of Super-Grotesk through the center.

See the complete trifold leaflet in Letterform’s Online Archive.

Intermezzo, Luxor, Drescher-Versalien, Symbol-Versalien

Opened by Sir Edwin Cornwall, M.P. Chairman of the London County Council, 10th March, 1906.

The opening of the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway, better known as the Bakerloo line, in 1906 was a milestone in the development of London’s Underground railways as it marked the inauguration of the first of the tube lines financed and constructed by the Underground Electric Railways of London group. The UERL was the vast, American backed, concern that had bought its way into London’s transport by effective purchase of the existing steam operated District Railway to electrify it, the construction of the power house at Lots Road, Chelsea, and the acquisition and construction of three tube railway schemes: the Baker St & Waterloo, the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway and the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway. The first stages of the three tube railways, under construction since 1902/3, were to open in 1906/7 – a great relief to the cash strapped company who had financed them as it meant that at last passenger fares started to provide income.

The very smart booklet produced for the opening is in simple deckle edged card covers (similar to that for the opening of the Met’s Uxbridge Extension) and this copy is signed “Cecil G Page” or Paget. The script typeface is a German design first cast by the foundry of Benjamin Krebs Nachfahren in Frankfurt/Main in 1903 as Ridingerschrift. The small text is set in two widths of De Vinne, which was domestically available from Caslon.

Read more about the history of the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway and see more images from the brochure on Flickr.

Almanac for the year 1887, issued by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (est. 1810).

The typeface featured is Mother Hubbard (c. 1885), cut by John F. Cumming (b. 1852).

Lovely to see that Art Nouveau flat-topped 8!

Eddy Manson (1919–1996) was an American harmonica player and arranger. His album Ping Pong Percussion and the Harmonica (from around 1960?) was released by various labels, with at least three different cover designs. The sleeve shown here is the one by Promenade Records, featuring reversed boxed caps from Radiant Extra Condensed integrated into a harmonica.

[More info on Discogs]

Detail. The logo of Promenade Records is based on Filmotype Hindu, supported by Vogue Extra Bold.

Bag of baking powder, “sufficient for 500 g of flour, to be stored dry and in an airtight container”. The use of Allegro (Ludwig & Mayer, 1936) suggests a date in the late 1930s or 1940s. Note the use of ligatures for ch/ck in both Allegro and the smaller text set in Belwe-Antiqua (Schelter & Giesecke, 1910).

Front cover

This booklet was issued by the Brazil Nut Association, New York. A version was advertised as early as in 1936, already featuring Kernel Nut of Brazil as seen on the back cover. The booklet was still distributed in 1950. The date of this specific editon is unknown.

While the cover combines script lettering with caps from Beton extrafett (1930), the recipe headings use the light weight of Signal, a.k.a. Script-Signal (1932), contrasted with caps from Ultra Bodoni (1928). Text appears to be set in Bodoni.

Via Lileks. See Chadbourne Antiques & Collectibles for more images.

Back cover

Slowly rebuilding my collection after some significant losses and it is lovely to be rediscovering some of these - for many years, in the 1950s, the Public Libraries of the relatively small Borough of Leyton in east London issued information leaflets and booklets detailing the events and services offered. This included such exhibitions, events and clubs that took place either at Lea Bridge or Leytonstone Library.

The series are beautifully set and printed at a relatively local printer's, the Curwen Press, who were based a few miles over the borough boundary in Plaistow.

The copy features a rather odd and not exactly harmonious combination of two serifs from different eras: Ehrhardt, an old style in the Dutch Baroque tradition, and Walbaum, a German Didone. Anyway, the star on this cover is Festliche Ziffern. This set of “festive numerals” was designed by Hermann Zapf and produced by Stempel in 1950. A few years later, Zapf expanded the concept to capital letters, as Saphir (1953). Festliche Ziffern came in a range of sizes, but even the smallest one (24pt) has more detail in the ornamentation than Saphir.

Founded in 1891 (then named Bohemian Brewing Co., and renamed in 1896), the Atlas Brewing Co. served beers even throughout the prohibition years—when it was one of six Chicago breweries to be permitted to serve “near-beers”, and later ½% beer—until it closed in 1962.

Below are various variations on the same advertisement used throughout 1899–1914. The serif typefaces used are different cuts of De Vinne (c. 1892). I’m not sure what grotesques were used, but from 1909 to 1914, ‘BEERS’ seems to be set in Gothic No. 2.

Atlas Brewing Co. advertisement, 1903

Atlas Brewing Co. advertisement, 1904

Atlas Brewing Co. advertisement, 1904

Atlas Brewing Co. advertisement, 1908

Atlas Brewing Co. advertisement, 1909. Note the alt R of De Vinne Condensed in “Brewing”.

Atlas Brewing Co. advertisement, 1910. Note the alt R of De Vinne Condensed in “Brewing”.

Atlas Brewing Co. advertisement, The Chicago Eagle, December 5, 1914, Page 7. Note the alt R of De Vinne Condensed in “Brewing”.

Aura Bora is a producer of uniquely flavored sparkling waters made from herbs, fruits, and flowers. Founded by Paul and Maddie Voge, Aura Bora’s beverages can be found at more than 3,000 retailers across the United States. They worked with branding agency Moxie Sozo to develop their playful brand and the designs of their cans.

Condor is used for product titles and serves as the basis for the logo, which has a custom flourish on the crossbar of the A. Space Mono is the primary font for body copy, with Barlow Bold used for other headlines and supporting text (often with a bouncy baseline).

According to in-house designer Jesse Manby:

We wanted our typefaces to be as delightful and bold as the flavors in our cans. Condor was chosen to lead the pack as we felt it embodies our playful, otherworldly aesthetic and translates each new flavor seamlessly into the Aura Bora world.

The type palette accompanies lively and colorful illustrations of animals and natural settings. As Moxie Sozo states in their write-up of the project:

The packaging creates an immersive world through rich storytelling and quirky, character-driven illustration. The softer color palette connotes a natural (and more interesting) clean ingredient panel. Even the matte label elevates the tactile experience alongside less premium direct-to-can competitors.

Embossed all-caps Reklameschrift Block (Berthold, 1908) on the covers of a series of five booklets with “selected recipes”, issued as promotional items by German Bohemian food manufacturer Schicht, probably in the late 1920. The booklets were printed by A. Haase, Prague.