Windsbraut ad by J.G. Schelter & Giesecke (1929)

Windsbraut (literally “wind’s bride”) is a poetic German term for whirlwind, and sometimes used for the personification of the elemental spirit, cf. the Harpy Aello from Greek mythology. In a figurative sense, it’s a woman with a wild, impetuous nature. The J.G. Schelter & Giesecke company from Leipzig used it to name their printing presses, apparently to hint at both their strength and speed.

This ad shown in an issue of Buch- und Werbekunst from May 1929 is for a fully automatic two-speed press. It specifically addresses manufacturers of folded boxes, pointing out the Windsbraut’s proven suitability for punching, scoring, and grooving.

Since Schelter & Giesecke also operated in the field of type founding, the ad additionally serves as type promotion. The featured typefaces are Shakespeare-Mediäval and its halbfett (bold) companion. Designed by Georg Belwe, they were first cast in 1927. Note the use of ſ (long s) as well of ligatures for tz and ſt. In Germany, both were mandatory in blackletter typesetting, and also still common for roman type at the time.