“French Elzevir or French Oldstyle was
derived from types popularized in France in the eighteenth to early
nineteenth centuries, and again became popular in the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with several variations
identified only by a supplemental number. […] They have been made
by a number of [American] foundries […] French
Oldstyle faces were the inspiration for MacFarland and De
Vinne.” [McGrew 1993]
Among the earliest of these American revivals are Farmer’s Cadmus (before 1889), Dickinson’s French Elzevir
No. 1 [1890
ad], and Central’s French Old Style (all caps)
and French Old Style No. 2 (w/ lowercase) [1892
specimen]. Barnhart
Brothers & Spindler shows an all-caps French Old
Style and a related Elzevir
with lowercase and italics [1893
specimen]. By 1906 ATF had revised it as
Lining French Oldstyle No. 552. Monotype’s version was
No. 71. MS&J’s was French
Elzevir.
According to Loy, Gustave F. Schroeder cut the lowercase of
French Old Style for Central, and later cut an 18-point size of a
French Old Style No. 2 for Pacific
States. [MacMillan]
Photo-Lettering’s French Elzevir 2 is a
phototype adaptation apparently based on French Old Style No.
2 [PLINC 1950]. It was later listed as
Elzevir No.2 [PLINC More…
“French Elzevir or French Oldstyle was derived from types popularized in France in the eighteenth to early nineteenth centuries, and again became popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with several variations identified only by a supplemental number. […] They have been made by a number of [American] foundries […] French Oldstyle faces were the inspiration for MacFarland and De Vinne.” [McGrew 1993]
Among the earliest of these American revivals are Farmer’s Cadmus (before 1889), Dickinson’s French Elzevir No. 1 [1890 ad], and Central’s French Old Style (all caps) and French Old Style No. 2 (w/ lowercase) [1892 specimen]. Barnhart Brothers & Spindler shows an all-caps French Old Style and a related Elzevir with lowercase and italics [1893 specimen]. By 1906 ATF had revised it as Lining French Oldstyle No. 552. Monotype’s version was No. 71. MS&J’s was French Elzevir.
According to Loy, Gustave F. Schroeder cut the lowercase of French Old Style for Central, and later cut an 18-point size of a French Old Style No. 2 for Pacific States. [MacMillan]
Photo-Lettering’s French Elzevir 2 is a phototype adaptation apparently based on French Old Style No. 2 [PLINC 1950]. It was later listed as Elzevir No.2 [PLINC 1965]. (For Linotype’s Elzevir No.2, see Schoeffer Oldstyle.) Castcraft showed the same or a similar typeface as French Elzevir No. 1 [Castcraft 1978].
