Der Chanchito – Bibliothek für Aquarien- und Terrarienkunde, Issue 12
Front and back cover of Der Chanchito, a German journal for aquarium and terrarium lovers. Issue 12 with the first part of P. Engmann’s treatise on cichlids was published by Gustav Wenzel & Sohn in 1908.
The design is framed by topical water lily border elements and features a number of typefaces. The title is in Kalligraphia, set on an angle, flanked by stars, and framed by thick-thin borders. Kalligraphia probably originated at the Gustav Reinhold foundry in Berlin around 1892. “Bibliothek für Aquarien- und Terrarienkunde” is in one of the narrow bold sans serifs that went under generic names like Grotesk or Steinschrift, possibly the Halbfette Grotesk as cast by Berthold, Stempel, and Weber. The modernized oldstyle serifs seem to include styles both from the Romana and De Vinne branches of this genre. “I. Teil” might be (Breite) Fette Renaissance, a German typeface similar to Latin Bold.
For the publisher’s name on the back, a grotesk with two-story g has been used – it appears to be Stempel’s Breite Grotesk. “Wochenschrift für Aquarien- u. Terrarienkunde” is set in Concordia, a condensed flare serif by Berthold that appears to be a recutting of the American Lafayette.
.jpg)
2 Comments on “Der Chanchito – Bibliothek für Aquarien- und Terrarienkunde, Issue 12”
it looks like that unidentified type is a stephenson blake grotesque—no. 9 or no. 6 maybe?
Thanks, Pat. Do you mean for “Bibliothek für Aquarien- und Terrarienkunde”? Grotesque No. 9 definitely has many of the same qualities, but it’s different in the details, e.g. its e is more egg-shaped and the r curls inwards. The mentioned Halbfette Grotesk (shown below) strikes me as a better (and geographically more likely) match. I didn’t add it because I haven’t found a comprehensive specimen to compare against.