Black-and-white typography, decorative fonts and chromatic letterforms abound in perforated prints drawn from a Victorian specimen book
As cities around the world rapidly expanded throughout the 1800s, wood type emerged as a useful and economical tool in the creation of large-scale advertisements. Lighter in weight and less cumbersome than metal, it was quickly available in an explosion of expressive styles. One such treatment came from Harrild & Sons, one of London's premier manufacturers of printing equipment, founded in 1809. These dapper and bombastic letterings--showcased in an equally attractive specimen book advertising everything from "Pomeranians" to "Canoes" to "Harmonics"--are the inspiration for this volume of Letterform Archive's Creative Papers series. The 16 oversize perforated sheets contained within this booklet can be torn out and used in a variety of ways: as wrapping paper, wall art, scrapbook material and more. Each design attests to wood type's rich and enduring appeal in both commercial and creative spheres.