A Victorian-era ticket with a unique border and striking typefaces. The star of the show is Bank-Note Italic, a variant of John F. Cumming’s Bank-Note Italic (c.1863) in which the top halves have diagonal hatching. Charles E. Heyer added it to the catalog of the Boston Type Foundry in 1875. 

Opening Party at Fox’s Hall, South Worcester, N.Y.
Thursday Evening, Dec. 15, 1887 Music by Belcher's Full Band.
Yourself and lady are respectively invited.
Bill $1.50
J. D. Beard, Manager. E. Fox, Prop’r.

The Cottrell & Babcock Manufacturing Company was founded in 1855 in Stonington, Connecticut. In 1880, Nathan Babcock purchased the shares of co-founder Calvert Cottrell and set up a new printing press manufactory together with his nephew George Fenner. Renamed the Babcock Printing Press Manufacturing Company, it was moved to New London. Around 1886, Babcock introduced the two-revolution “Optimus” press. From Steve Fithian’s 2024 article for Otis Library:

The Optimus became the new industry standard for the production of high quality printing. Harper & Bros. of New York used the Optimus exclusively to print their popular and influential periodicals, Harpers Weekly and Harper’s Monthly magazine. By 1899, the company’s strong commercial success allowed for the expansion of the employee base to 250 men occupying 180,000 square feet of factory floor. During the period between 1883 and 1919, the company sold over 7,000 printing presses to businesses in every state of the Union with a global market that included Canada, Mexico, Europe and parts of Asia.

In their Handy Book of Artistic Printing from 2009, Doug Clouse and Angela Voulangas date the advertising card shown above to 1886. All the linework—including curves—were done up in brass rules, along with the metal type fleurons and dingbats. The main typefaces are Mother Hubbard (1885) for “‘Optimus’ Press” and “New York Office” and Latin Condensed (1873) with initials from Ideal (1884) for “The Babcock Printing Press Mfg. Company”. The then freshly introduced Art Gothic (1886) is used with caps from Mother Hubbard for “Drum Cylinder”, “Stop Cylinder” and “Two Revolution”. “Lithographic” and the New York address are set in Old Style Extended (by 1884). There are a couple of unidentified typefaces, including a generic gothic. The inclined sans probably is Gothic Italic (see Halbfette Cursiv-Grotesque).

The colored card shown below followed in 1887. Its design also features Mother Hubbard. The wide typeface used for “Babcock” and, in mixed case, for “Drum Cylinder / Stop Cylinder / Two-Revolution / Lithographic” is Bowl, shown by Farmer the same year.

For both cards A. J. Smith was the compositor, with the printing firm of John P. Smith in Rochester, NY.

From Wikipedia:

Chameleon is a 1972 album by the Four Seasons, notable for being their only album with Motown and the only one featuring Demetri Callas on guitar; Callas had replaced band co-founder Tommy DeVito in 1970 but left in 1974, replaced by Don Ciccone and John Paiva during the band's mid-1970s renaissance. The album met with limited success in the US; no single was issued in America. “The Night”, however, peaked at No. 7 in 1975 in the UK, becoming a Northern soul mainstay.

The uncredited cover design brings together two typefaces that were designed around the same time: the debossed title is in Koster (Dickinson, 1888), featuring a custom cap with long swash and a wavy baseline. The names at the top are in all-caps Skjald (MacKellar, Smiths & Jordan, by 1889).

[More info on Discogs]

The first page of a large 480-page catalog advertising goods offered by Feldheim, Gotthelf & Co., an Australian importer of “British, Continental and American Merchandise”. Founded in the 1850s, the company entered a period of growth starting with a new warehouse in 1892. This catalog, published around 1905, offers an extensive window into essentially the entire breadth of goods available to Australian households at the time. The company entered a period of decline a few years later due to partners retiring from business, and in 1924 began the process of shutting down the company which concluded in 1927.

The catalog is set in a smorgasbord of period typefaces. The shown page features Facade for the company’s name, followed by Maltese Shaded, Condensed Sans Serifs Italic (see Condensed & Elongated Sans Serifs), Grotesque No. 4A, and Reed’s Runic Extended (for “Sydney”). “On Sale” is in DeVinne Ornamental and the list of items in De Vinne. The caps used for the name and location shown integrated in the red border are from Concave. Some of the typefaces used for smaller text are yet unidentified.

The Bantam-Seal edition of this Inspector McDumont mystery by Canadian novelist Hugh Garner (1913–1979) was published in 1979. The font in use is Photo-Lettering’s Rubens Bold. Issued by 1965, this style is the widest of several extra widths added to their adaptation of Rubens.

These tales of supernatural terror by French author Guy de Maupassant (1850–1893), master of the short story, were selected and translated by Arnold Kellett, and published by Pan Books in 1972. The cover art is by Josh Kirby, depicting the protagonist of the first story, La Main d’écorché (The Hand). The suffocatingly narrow typeface to go with it is Rubens. Its diagonal terminals nicely echo the fingernails.

[More info on ISFDB]

J.R.R. Tolkien’s Silmarillion was first published by Allen & Unwin in London (with Hawthorn for the jacket typography). Shown here is the first U.S. edition, by Houghton Mifflin, with cover art by Tolkien himself. The display typeface is Rubens.

Note how the J towers a little over the other capitals because its base was aligned to the line of the frame, instead of letting it overshoot.

The typography on the spine and inside the book follows the British precursor, with Perpetua and Imprint.

[More info on ISFDB]

First published in 1963 with a different cover and credited to Rusty Draper (i.e. Curley Williams, 1914–1970), this is a later reissue, now under the alias of the Larry Hank Mountaineers. The tribute album includes “Half as Much”, a song written by Curley Williams in 1951 and recorded by his namesake Hank Williams (1923–1953) in 1952.

The title pairs two extracondensed typefaces, Rubens (John F. Cumming, 1881) and Permanent Headline (Karlgeorg Hoefer, 1964).

[More info on Discogs]

All-caps Flash for the poster signed by D. Wust-Calame, printing: Imprimerie du «Journal de Genève»

Drawing is a common practice in the field of botany to visually describe a plant. Allowing interpretation, even cheating, a drawer dare said, scientific illustration has didactical advantages over photography. From 1960, when Charles Baehni was director of the institution, and during more than 30 years, the Botanical Garden of Geneva in Switzerland employed a dedicated team of women for the task. Their names appear vertically, often along the stem of each illustrated plant: Line Guibentif, Saskia Pernin-Wikström, Suzanne Van Hove, Danielle Wüst-Calame.

Housed by the lake, on the first floor of the historical building called La Console, the “atelier de dessin et décoration” comprised a complementary team dedicated to decoration (advertising or graphic design nowadays).

The series of posters entitled “Tulipes” announces most likely outdoor “exhibitions” of the tulip flower in bold colours with various typefaces leading to a striking effect. Showcased below, these posters symbolise the porosity of practices, the warmth as well as importance of drawing by hand, from that era.

To conclude, when I was conducting my research for proper dates and names, working in this very institution as an in-house typographer, I spotted this remark in one article by Line Guibentif from 1984: “Made with simplicity and economy of means botanical illustration should be as easy to read as clearly typeset text.” (translated from French by the author).

Acknowledgments: Samuel Anderegg, Pierre Boillat, Patrick Bungener, Martin Callmander, Sylvie Dunant, Mona Mahmoudian, Raoul Palese, Nathalie Rasolofo, Rodolphe Spichiger, Gisèle Visinand

Letraset’s Desdemona for a poster signed “SaskiaW”. Note that the 9 is an upside-down 6.

All-lowercase Baskerville Old Face

All-lowercase Monotype Grotesque and Helvetica for a poster signed “Line G.”, printing: Imprimerie du Journal de Genève

Hand-rendered (?) Cooper Black with non-standard forms for U (inspired by ITC Souvenir?) and P. “Rocailles” is shown in an unidentified wide slab serif. Volta fett with a trimmed R leg and unbracketed serifs would come close [see also the comments]. This poster is signed “SaskiaW” and was printed by imprimeries populaires. Smaller text is in Helvetica.

Zipper and Helvetica for a poster signed “SaskiaW”, printing: Imprimerie du «Journal de Genève»

Artistik for a poster signed “D. Wust-Calame”, printing: Imprimerie du Journal de Genève

More Helvetica, including stacked glyphs for the months for a poster signed “D. Calame”, printing: Blanc-Wittwer SA (not part of the Tulipes series, provided here as a bonus for the eyes)

Source: www.baumanrarebooks.com Bauman Rare Books. License: All Rights Reserved.

Roger Zelazny’s science fantasy novel Lord of Light was first published by Doubleday in 1967. The dust jacket features mesmerizing art by Howard “Howie” Bernstein, who passed away last year at the age of 81.

The perfect typeface to go with the psychedelic art is Kismet. First cast by the Boston Type Foundry in 1879 after designs by John F. Cumming, the swirly face had a new lease of life in the 1960s and 1970s.

Note how the leg in R was made diagonal instead of vertical in this application. Such an alteration can not be found back in the phototype adaptations by Headliners and Photo-Lettering.

[More info on ISFDB]

Source: www.abebooks.com Quintessential Rare Books. License: All Rights Reserved.

Source: archive.org License: All Rights Reserved.

Detail from a specimen for Kismet as shown in a 1892 catalog with “Popular Designs for Artistic Printers. Selected trom the novelties manufactured by the Central Type Foundry, of St. Louis, and Boston Type Foundry, of Boston.”

For nearly a century, Mercury Cruises and First Lady have offered Chicago’s most iconic waterway experiences. Most notably, they partnered with the Chicago Architecture Center to create the world-renowned Chicago Architecture Center River Cruise aboard First Lady. Now considered the No. 1 boat tour in the country.

Despite pedigree, both boat operators faced a shifting landscape as the Chicago River became increasingly crowded with competitors. They brought on Nick Adam’s team at Span to help chart a new course, refining their position and crafting a brand that honors their 90-year legacy. The goal: to set a new standard for Chicago’s cultural and tourism landscape.

Span began by simplifying the name. From Chicago’s First Lady Cruiseline and Mercury Skyline Cruises, to the more resonant, flexible First Lady. From there, we developed a visual identity that bridges heritage and modernity. Channeling both the utility of the working river and the refined character of the vessels themselves.

At the heart of the new identity is a custom logotype based on Clockmaker, a lavish typeface inspired by Elandkay and the architectural lettering traditions of Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright. We refined its letterforms to merge Victorian curves, Art Nouveau grace, Prairie-style form, and Art Deco precision—creating a typographic expression of Chicago’s rich design lineage. A signature swash numeral 1 flows like waves and wind, integrating seamlessly into the logotype or standing alone as a monogram. Paired with Euchre, a Chicago-designed typeface full of charm and sparkle, the system balances Midwestern elegance and grandeur with a tone that feels sophisticated yet approachable.

The vessels’ signature green and gold livery became the foundation of the refreshed color palette—elevated, amplified, and extended system-wide. We designed a suite of decorative plaque borders, intricate rule lines, and custom guilloché patterns that evoke both water and currency—offering a sense of timeless craft and detail.

William H. Moyer, of Pottsville, Pa., received a V.S. (Veterinary Surgeon) degree from the Ontario Veterinary College in Toronto during the commencement held on March 28, 1891, according to a note in the Journal of Comparative Medicine and Veterinary Archives, vol. 12, no. 5, May 1891, pp. 261-64.

Afterwards, he set up a practice in Elizabethville, Pa., as indicated on this business card. Someone penciled in the year “1890” on the front of the card, and the name “J. Romberger” is written on the back.

Dr. W. H. Moyer,
Veterinary Surgeon and Dentist, Elizabethville, Pa.
Graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College, Member of the Veterinary Medical Society, of Toronto, Canada.
Four Year’s Practice with Dr. J. W. Sallade, V.S., of Pottsville, Pa.

The doctor’s name is set in John F. Cumming’s Karnac (Dickinson, 1884). The condensed low-contrast slab for his job description is unidentified – it’s similar to Skeleton. “Elizabethville, Pa.” is in a Gothic, possibly Boston’s. Additional typefaces include (an American version or relative?) of Antique Five, Latin Antique, a light Clarendon/Ionic, and what looks like Antique No. 310, Bruce’s version of Old Style Antique No. 7.

The second album by British-Australian group Marvin, Welch & Farrar, released on EMI’s Regal Zonophone label in October 1971. Cover art by UK design team Hipgnosis.

[More info on Discogs]

Nelson Doubleday’s book club edition of The Winter of the World by Poul Anderson uses Algonquin for the dust jacket typography. About the book:

The second Ice Age came – and civilisation was buried beneath the glaciers. Then all men became barbarians. But out of the frozen chaos three cultures emerged. The Seafolk and the Rogaviki were simple, primitive people. Ranged against them was the mighty Rahidian-Barommian Empire, a nation hungry for power, eager to exploit its superior technical knowledge. If the Empire fulfilled its ambitions, its neighbours knew they would not survive. On the day of the intended conquest they must be ready to engage the powers of science in a bloody, apocalyptic struggle for the destiny of the planet.

[More info on ISFDB]

According to the Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography, this logo for Mountain Dew was proposed by the Lubalin studio probably sometime in the 1970s.

Mountain Dew is a soft drink brand using a formula originally invented in 1940. In August 1964, the brand and production rights were acquired from the Tip Corporation by Pepsi-Cola. In the late 1960s, Mountain Dew still used the so-called Hillbilly logo. By around 1970, it was discarded in favor of psychedelic lettering, with the two words stretched to fit into a rectangle. The accompanying “ya-hooo” wasn’t deleted from the logo until about 1975.

The logo proposal is based on the solid style of Algonquin. Originally designed by John F. Cumming and advertised by Dickinson in 1890, New York-based Photo-Lettering, Inc. showed a phototype adaptation of both styles in their 1971 One-Line Manual of Styles.

Algonquin as shown in ATF’s Specimens of Printing Types, 1897

From Wikipedia:

The Humanoids is a 1949 dystopian science fiction novel by American author Jack Williamson (1908–2006). Originally published as a three-part serial called “…And Searching Mind” in Astounding Science-Fiction (March, April, May 1948), it was in fact a sequel to an earlier novelette, “With Folded Hands…”, appearing in the same magazine in July of the previous year of 1947. The Humanoids was published as a hardback book in 1949, but only in 1980 was the award-winning “With Folded Hands…” included in a reissue edition of The Humanoids.

This reissue edition by Nelson Doubleday comes in a jacket with art by Tony Fiyalko. The uncredited designer (perhaps John Lisco?) specified a typeface that was ninety years old at the time: it’s Algonquin by the Dickinson Type Foundry. An advert in the Inland Printer from October 1890 mentions that “Algonquin and Algonquin Ornamented are effectively used when printed in two colors, one over the other.” That’s exactly what the jacket designer did here. They likely didn’t tinker with registering the output of two fonts, and simply gave the open style a yellow color fill instead.

[More info on Discogs]

Algonquin Ornamented in use for the title of Spaceling, a science fiction novel by Doris Piserchia (1928–2021). The shown hardback edition was published by Nelson Doubleday in 1978. From the back of DAW’s paperback:

The ability to see other-dimensional rings that float in Earth’s atmosphere was a late mutation of a few space-age humans. Daryl was under the care of the institution for muters, and she had discovered that if you jumped through the right ring at the right time it would land you in another dimensional world and another shape.

Spaceling is the story of Daryl’s desperate efforts to unravel the mystery of why she was being held captive and of what was really going on in a certain alien dimension. Because she was sure it was all bad and that someday everyone would thank her for the revelation.

But instead everyone was engaged in a wild effort to hold her down, to keep her on this Earth, and to keep the world simply intact!

[More info on ISFDB]

Algonquin is used in spaced caps, with the interior ornamentation printed in a separate color. The book jacket was designed by John Lisco, with wraparound art by Richard Corben.

Detail from the inner flap

Decca SLK 16834-P. Ted Heath’s name is in Univers; the track list in Akzidenz-Grotesk.

Ted Heath (1902–1969) was a British big band leader. His 1967 album Swing Is King was issued in a number of cover variants. The image above shows what I believe to be the original design. The photo depicts royal insignia – crown, orb and scepter – on a throne, surrounded by musical instruments, with red curtains in the back. Above, the title is set in capitals from an ornamented typeface. It’s Karnac, which originated at the Dickinson Type Foundry in Boston in 1884, and was adopted for phototypesetting by VGC in 1967. The typeface choice continues the theme of regal pomp. It certainly helped that some of the ornamentation in John F. Cumming’s design echoes the fleurs-de-lis seen on the crown.

The variant shown below is an example of a fine cover ruined by series design: someone at Decca/London Records decided that it additionally had to feature the large numeral 4 from the Phase 4 Stereo design (cf. Chacksfield Plays the Beatles’ Song Book). The already complex photo is now cut up by thick white lines. And there wasn’t enough space left at the top, so the title had to be crammed into the small field at the top left. Too much elements, and too little space for Karnac to breathe.

A German reissue from 1969 (last image) replaces Karnac with Moore Swash, a VGC original by James H. Moore and shows the artist’s name in Times New Roman. For some reason, the photograph was mirrored for this variant.

[More info on Discogs]

London Records SP 44104. The track names are here set in Trade Gothic.

The gatefold has the liner notes set in Trade Gothic Condensed, with the numeral 4 shown in negative. The text about Phase 4 Stereo on the right uses Century Schoolbook. Lowercase Futura serves for the heading.

Decca DS 3198/1-2 double LP

A Group Called Smith is the first album by American rock band Smith. It was released in July 1969 by Dunhill Records.

The album art design is credited to Apple Graphics, and the pictures to photographer Paul Slaughter.

Karnac is used for the band name, accompanied by Baker Signet for “a group called” which is the beginning of the album title.

[More info on Discogs]

Detail with the title lockup

The small text on the back cover is set in Univers.

A Child’s Garden of Grass started out as a handbook written by Jack S. Margolis and Richard Clorfene, first published by Contact Books in 1969. In 1971, it was adapted into A Child’s Garden of Grass (A Pre-Legalization Comedy), a long-playing record produced and directed by Ron Jacobs, along with Margolis.

Dave Davison’s Fandango is used for the title both on the album cover and on the paperback reissue of the handbook by Pocket Books, as well as for the promotional campaign. Fandango is similar to Davison Bolero, with noticeable differences – such as Fandango having additional ornaments in certain glyphs or double notches in letters such as O and D. Both Fandango and Bolero are modelled after Central’s Othello.

The album was art directed “in a joint effort” by Robert L. Heimall and William S. Harvey. John Balsley styled the photo. It features all kinds of topical items from marijuana plants, a hookah, tobacco crumbs, papers, and matchboxes to a Lady Justice scale, a package of Stoned Wheat Thins, pinback buttons, headphones, a can of air freshener with green leaves, and a Monopoly board.

[More info on Discogs]

There are some words at the top left of the back cover that use Smoke (“GRASS”), Flirt (“MARIJUANA”) and Karnac (“CANNABIS SATIVA”). Track list and credits are set in sober Helvetica.

Cover of the handbook as reissued by Pocket Books. The secondary typeface is (a phototype version of) Page No. 506.

Promotional poster by Elektra Records

A billboard on Sunset Strip, advertising the release of the album in 1971. Coincidentally, the Music Hall sign below uses a stylistically related typeface, Rubens.

Front and back of the gatefold LP