Archiv für Buchgewerbe und Gebrauchsgraphik, Vol. 72, No. 8, “Religiöse Graphik”

Cover for the an issue of the German trade journal Archiv für Buchgewerbe und Gebrauchsgraphik dedicated to religious graphics, published in summer 1935.

From the contents (translated):

Otto Lerche: The Deutsches Evangelisches Gesangsbuch (German Protestant Hymnal) – a major task for the book trade and book artists of our time
Walter Hofmann: The graphic artist as a designer of religious sentiment
Richard Schuppe: Printing and decoration of the Protestant Hymnal
F. Otto Bringezu: The music writer Paul Koch
Richard Schuppe: The Bible exhibition in the Francke Foundations in Halle an der Saale

The cover design is by Walter Hofmann, Leipzig, using Wallau halbfett with its “unzial”, i.e. Roman, capitals, in combination with the Rotunda-like lowercase, set with ample letterspacing. This original style of Wallau was designed by Rudolf Koch between 1925 and 1930 and released with the Klingspor foundry.

Koch (1876–1934) himself was interested in the renewal of ecclesiastical arts and crafts, and worked on many commissions from Protestant churches. According to Wikipedia, he worked on logos and ceilings and designed candlesticks, paraments, communion vessels and other objects for church furnishings. The Offenbach Friedenskirche, of which he was a parishioner and churchwarden, benefited in particular from this. Wallau is named after a town in the Ländchen, which was a purely Protestant territory well into the 20th century.

Typesetting and printing by Breitkopf & Härtel, binding by Sieke-Fritzsche-Hager G.m.b.H. The paper was provided by Ferdinand Flinsch and the ink by Berger & Wirth, all located in Leipzig.