Honorary membership card, Stade Saint-Maixentais

Stade Saint-Maixentais was a rugby club from Saint-Maixent in the department of Deux-Sèvres in western France. This honorary membership card for Monsieur Defaye, the club’s treasurer general, is part of a calendar issued for the 1923/1924 season. It carries the rubber stamp signature of the club’s president, Charles Teneau, who ran a local hosiery factory.

The wide typeface used in all caps at the top is Fantasques Larges by Deberny & Cie. In 1923, the foundry merged with Peignot & Fils into Deberny & Peignot who continued the design. Fantasques Larges didn’t originate in France, though, but rather at Stephenson Blake in England. There, it was first cast in 1890 and sold under the name Flemish Expanded.

Smaller text is set in Cheltenham. Designed in New York City, this typeface was available in France at the time from Fonderie Caslon. The italic is used with some of its swash caps.