“Immigrants and revolutionists” ad by Typographic House
Contributed by Florian Hardwig
on May 16th, 2026. Artwork published in
January 1969
.
Source: archive.org License: All Rights Reserved.
When Typographic House advertised their typesetting services – and specifically Gill Sans Extra Bold – in the January 1969 issue of Art Direction, they adopted a quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt. It’s taken from a speech held on April 21, 1938, when FDR addressed 4,000 members of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Typographic House was “the finest typesetter in Boston” [Richard Sheaff] and “the largest type house in New England” [Steve Jackaman], with offices in Boston, Providence, and Harford. Founded in 1938 by Michael Brotman (c.1907–2002), “Typo House” was led by James H. Moore (1932–2023) from 1967 until his retirement in 1991. In 1984, Moore acquired the company together with Peter Brotman (1941–2016), the founder’s son.
