Type Specimen Catalogue

specimen of ornaments

catalogue of printing supplies

1 91 2 ( M o d i f i e d 2 012 )

american type founders c o m pa n y everything for the printer

The images are sourced from the 1912 Specimen of Type,Borders and Ornaments Brass Rules and Electrotypes by The American Type Founders Company.

A Catalogue record of the original document is available from www.archive.org This book was created by Anoosha Tadghighi anooshatadghighi@hotmail.co.uk

evolution of clip art

Clip art began in the late eighteenth century. Formerly known as Ornaments, they were originally produced as metal engravings. Designers and woodcutters would hand draw illustrations which would then be transformed into metal patterns using “ingenious mechanical devices� to fill the needs of publishing houses. 1 Images which were created would depict common occurances of the early 1900s in keeping with the subjects headlining newspapers and therefore increasing their usage.

Enabling Type Foundries to create such complex and accurate metal cuttings were apparatus such as Matrix Cutting Machines. These machines became

1

American Type Foundry,1912, p. vi.

cont. an imperative device for printers of the early twentieth century. The process would consist of an accurate line drawing being transformed into a metal pattern which could then be cut as a solid metal template.

Progressively these images obtained more detail and were available from type foundries in speciment sheets.

Over the years, technology has enabled us to create clip art which suit our everyday lifestyles. We are able to find a stock photograph which incorporates every subject which relates to our twentyfirst century lifestyles. The craft of hand made engravings has dramatically decreased as we have become

cont. technologically advanced. Now that clip art can be easily produced on computers, the subtle beauty once found in early twentieth century “clip art� has been replaced with generic vector graphics.

These cards have been made to celebrate the original ornaments created by the American Type Foundry, in particular the specimen sheets of 1912.

The images used within this book are the original ornaments found in the 1912 specimen book. A selection of 15 subjects have been chosen because of their distinctive relativity to the lifestyle of the early 20th century.

A price list is available at the end of the books; they have been converted

cont. from the prices used in New York when the original specimen was published.

Currently clip art is purchased in bulk, on a CD or online, and cost much less than the ornaments created by printing companies such as the American Type Foundry. The modern day equivalent of one dollar in 1912 would now cost around 25 dollars.

These images were more expensive because of the artistic process and detail involved in making them.

These prices have been created to represent current rates.

To mark 100 years since the creation of the 1912 Specimen of Type sheet, some of these ornaments have been tampered with, representing the contrast of twenty-first century lifestyles...

specimen of ornaments

“This distinctive series of ornaments is adapted to every size of page to all classes of large and small forms of advertising. Many pleasing and attractive designs can be made.�

-American Type Foundry pg.992

index Terminology ......................1 American Indians...............2 Athletes ..............................3 Ballet Dancers....................4 Cast Index cuts ..................5 Children .............................6 Coppers ..............................7 Domestics ..........................8 Druggist .............................9

Golfers .............................10 Hello Cuts ........................11 Klondikers........................12 Lady Speakers...................13 Rigs and Traps .................14 Scorchers..........................15 Shoppers ..........................16 Price List ........................18-21 Bibliography.....................22

terminology Appr opriate moder n translations.

1912

2012

American Indians Cast Index cuts Coppers Domestics Druggists Klondikers Rigs and Traps Scorchers

Native Americans Hand signals Policemen Housemaids Pharmacists Stakeholders Horse and Carriage Thrill Seekers

1

american indians

N o .1

No.2

No.3

No.4

No.5

No.6

No.7

No.8

No.9

2

athl e te s

N o .10

N o .11

N o .14

N o .13

N o .1 5

N o .12

N o .16

3

N o .17

b a l l e t da n c e r s

N o .18

N o .19

N o . 21 No.22

No.20

No.23

No.25

N o . 24

4

cast index cuts

No.26

N o . 27

No.28

No.29

30pt No.30

30pt N o . 31

No.32

5

children

font cont ains one of each character

No.33

No.34

No.36

No.38

No.35

N o . 37

No.39

6

No.40

coppers

N o . 41

No.42

No.44

No.45

No.46

N o . 47

No.48

No.49

7

domestics

No.50

No.53

No.52

N o . 51

No.54

No.55

No.56 N o . 57

8

d ru g g i s t

No.58

No.59

No.60

N o . 61

No.62

No.63

No.64

No.65

No.66

9

golfers

N o . 67

No.68

No.69

No.70

N o . 71

No.72

No.73

N o . 74

No.75

10

hello cuts

116 p t N o . 76

36 pt No. 79

33 pt No.80

36 pt N o . 81

33 pt No.82

14 0 p t No.78

116 p t N o . 77

11

klondikers

All cuts on this page are cast on Adobe Photoshop and are easily justified.

No.83

No.84

No.85

No.86 N o . 87

No.89

No.88

12

l a dy s p e a k e r s

No.90

N o . 91

No.92

No.93 No.94

No.95

No.98 No.96

No.97

13

rigs and traps

No.99

N o .10 0

N o .10 2

N o .10 3

N o .10 5 N o .10 4

N o .10 6

N o .107

14

s c o rc h e r s

N o .10 8

N o .10 9

N o .110

N o .111

N o .114

15

N o .112

N o .113

N o .11 5

N o .116

shoppers

N o .117

N o .118

N o .119

N o .12 0

N o .121

N o .12 2

N o .124

N o .12 5

N o .12 3

16

price list

18

price list

no.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

page.

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4

no.

27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 53

price.

0.12 0.12 0.12 0.15 0.15 0.40 0.50 0.20 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.20 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.30 0.12 0.12 0.30 0.12

19

page.

4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 7 7 7

price.

0.15 0.15 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.10 0.30 0.12 0.12 0.30 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.20 0.15 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.10 0.12 0.30 0.12 0.12 0.12

price list

no.

54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79

page.

7 7 7 7 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 10 10 10 10

no.

80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105

price.

0.15 0.40 0.40 0.12 0.20 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.10 0.12 0.12 0.20 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.30 0.12 0.10 0.30 0.30 0.30 0.30 0.10 20

page.

10 10 10 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 13 13 13 13 13 13 13

price.

0.10 0.10 0.10 0.20 0.12 0.12 0.10 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.10 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.30 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.15

price list

no.

106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125

page.

13 13 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15

price.

0.15 0.15 0.30 0.20 0.15 0.15 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.20 0.12 0.25 0.12 0.20 0.12 0.20 0.10 0.20 0.12 0.12

21

bibliography American Type Founders Company: Specimen of Type,Borders and Ornaments Brass Rules and Electrotypes, 1912, Jersey City.

American Type Founders Company: Specimen of Type,Borders and Ornaments Brass Rules and Electrotypes, 1912, Jersey City.pg.992b American Specimen Type Of Book Styles; http:// openlibrary.org/books/OL7160961M/American_specimen_ book_of_type_styles, Last modified September 2011.

American Type Founders Company: American Specimen Book Of Type Styles; Supplement, 1917, Jersey City

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