Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by mikeyashworth and tagged with “rockwell”. License: All Rights Reserved.

The official brochure issued in connection with the manifestations that the local council organised. It included simple treats such as a commemorative mug or spoon for school children, a day out for children who lived in council homes (and one shilling spending money) and for the day only, upon production of the pension book, free travel on the local Corporation buses.

The advert is for the well known and popular local grocers James Duckworth Ltd, then in their heyday with over 180 branches and known locally as ‘Jimmy Duck’s’. I remember the shops well although generally as Co-op members in this most Co-op of towns we went and got our divi at the local branch! Founded in 1868 by local man, who was self-made to the point of being knighted in 1908, Duckworth served as Mayor of Rochdale on several occassions before his death in 1915. The family continued with the business until they sold out to Wright’s, the biscuit makers of South Shields, in 1955. The stores were finally run down with the headquarters closing in 1969 and the final shops vanishing in c1975.

The blackletter is handdrawn Old English, combined with typeset Rockwell and all-caps Plantin Italic. The ad on the back is set in roman and italic styles of Gill Sans. The bold condensed grot with straight-sided rounds used for Duckworths is probably not a typeface. Caslon’s Condensed Sans-Serif No. 2 comes close. See also Miller & Richard’s Sans-Serif No. 4 and Stephenson Blake’s Condensed Sans Serifs No. 1.

A Victorian-era advertising trade card for attorney David Strouse (1848-1925) of New Haven, Connecticut.

Although flowery business cards may not be popular today, late nineteenth-century cards like this one were not uncommon. For additional examples, see E. K. Fernsler, M.D., East Terre Hill, Pa., and J. Geo. Hintz, Books and Stationery, Reading, Pa.

David Strouse,
Attorney at Law,
New Haven, Conn.
13 Exchange Building, cor, Church and Chapel Street.

The name is set in caps of a Celtic. “Attorney at Law” features Centennial Script, complete with its ornamental caps. The address combines a Modern/Scotch and a Fat Face.

Originally published in the 1860s by G. Routledge and Sons in London and New York, The (Illustrated) Language of Flowers by Mrs. L. Burke (Anna Christian Burke) is a delightful and amusing book with beautifully illustrated flowers and floriology, presented alphabetically by name, with their symbolic meanings from A to Z. Also included is a variety of romantic poetry by various authors. It is a reference book for floriologists and plant lovers alike.

This edition was published by Price Stern Sloan in Los Angeles in 1965, from the 1963 British edition published by Hugh Evelyn Limited, London.

Bookman (with the catchwords The and of) is the point of the charm, combining the Victorian sense with the glyphs of Romantiques No. 2 AKA Carnival for the alphabet at the start of the chapters. And inside the book, Bell makes an appearance all at once, for preface copy, chapters and the index.

J. S. Locke & Co., a publisher and stationer located in Boston, used this advertising trade card to invite customers to view the valentines offered for sale in 1881.

For another valentine trade card from 1881, see Our Valentines Will Be Sold at Cost Today.

An Opening Exhibition of Fine Foreign and Domestic Valentines, From Feb. 7, to Feb. 14th, 1881. You are invited to attend. J. S. Locke & Co., 304 Washington St.

The tracked-out caps with horizontal contrast are from the original style of Fashion. This design was patented in 1876 by Andrew Little. Three condensed styles as well the bolder Fashion Antique were added until 1891. The other typefaces used on this card are yet unidentified – let us know if you have any leads.

Cover of a catalog with agricultural products “grown and for sale by E.G. Packard from Dover, Delaware, with prices for best varieties of each.”

The inclined face with horizontal contrast is Crayonette. It’s also used for the text set on angle and overprinted in red, proudly claiming: “All Cream, No Skim Milk Here.”

Seventy-three years later, Crayonette would appear on the album cover of Crimson & Clover by Tommy James & The Shondells. Coincidence?

There is also Old Style Extended for the other product names, and (a) Celtic for the location. “Information” and “E.G. Packard” is in a related bolder and condensed style which is eluding me right now. Carl Crossgrove’s recent Wakerobin Compressed would be a good contemporary stand-in. The all-caps roman and the grotesques are unidentified, too.

A late nineteenth-century business card for Henry Swartz's dry goods store in York, Pennsylvania. Printed in two colors, the card shows a smorgasbord of typefaces, as it was common in the Victorian era. “Henry Swartz” is set in Antique Extended (light), a precursor of Hellenic Wide. “Dry Goods” pairs decorated initials from Ornamented No. 13 and a hairline Tuscan with swelling at the mid-height spurs that is known as Ornamented No. 35.

In further roles: a condensed gothic (cf. Two-Line Pica Gothic Extra Cond, No. 44) with open and shaded floral initials (for “Notions, Queensware”), a Fat Face and a wide sans for the address, several romans, and Tuscan caps with split shade (Brevier Ornamented, No. 23?).

Henry Swartz,
Dealer in Dry Goods, Groceries, Notions, Queensware, &c., &c., &c.
No. 229 South George Street, York, Pa.
Experience in the business and strict attention enables him to render general satisfaction.
Country produce bought and sold.
Gazette, Pr.

An undated business card for Jane Lander, who was a representative for Push Pin Studios between 1960 and 1967.

Designed in the neo-Victorian style that was popularized by Push Pin and others in the 1960s, the chosen typefaces all date from the 19th century.

“Jane Lander” is in an Ornamented face with concave stems and pointed terminals in the shape of concave diamonds. This style appears in Boston’s catalog from 1860. There are considerable differences across the sizes, and also between the cuts sold by various foundries. The wide R matches the Two-Line Great Primer Ornamented No. 6 as shown in Farmer’s 1867 specimen. This cut is also listed as 36 Point Ornamented No. 16 in a Morgan Press foundry type specimen, which might have been the source for Push Pin Studios. It’s paired with a light Ionic or Clarendon that’s also used for the smaller text in green.

“The Push Pin” likely is lettering – the P in “Push” appears to be inspired by Crayonette. The typefaces used for the names in cartouches and boxes are the left-leaning Pisa (1897), the dramatic Relievo No. 2 (1879), Rimmed Condensed (1866), and Ronaldson Condensed (before 1889).

Dibevo is a trade association for the pet industry in The Netherlands.