Perpetua

{Established in 1928}

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Eric Gill

{Trajan ‘Q’ has a longer tail than Perpetuas.}

&

The Roman Mythologies

Trajan

As a civilian administrator, Trajan is best known for his extensive public building program which reshaped the city of Rome (Latin: Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus and left multiple enduring Augustus; 18 September 53 – 9 August 117) landmarks such as Trajan’s was Roman Emperor from 98 Forum, Trajan’s Market and to 117 AD. Born into a non-pa- Trajan’s Column. Early in trician family in the province of his reign, he annexed the Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan Nabataean kingdom, creatrose to prominence during the ing the province of Arabia reign of emperor Domitian. Serv- Petraea. His conquest of ing as a legatus legionis in HisDacia enriched the empire pania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in greatly — the new province 89 Trajan supported the emperor possessed many valuable gold against a revolt on the Rhine mines. His war against the led by Antonius Saturninus. In Parthian Empire ended with September 96, Domitian was the sack of the capital Ctesisucceeded by Marcus Cocceius phon and the annexation of Nerva, an old and childless sena- Armenia and Mesopotamia. tor who proved to be unpopular His campaigns expanded the with the army. After a brief and Roman Empire to its greattumultuous year in power, a est territorial extent. In late revolt by members of the Prae117, while sailing back to torian Guard compelled him to Rome, Trajan fell ill and adopt the more popular Trajan died of a stroke in the city as his heir and successor. Nerva of Selinus. He was deified died on 27 January 98, and was by the Senate and his ashes succeeded by his adopted son were laid to rest under Trawithout incident. jan’s Column. Then he was

succeeded by his adopted son Hadrian.

As an emperor, Trajan’s reputation has endured — he is one of the few rulers whose reputation has survived nineteen centuries. Every new emperor after him was honored by the Senate with the wish felicior Augusto, melior Traiano (“[be] luckier than Augustus and better than Trajan”). Among medieval Christian theologians, Trajan was considered a virtuous pagan, while the 18th century historian Edward Gibbon popularized the notion of the Five Good Emperors, of which Trajan was the second.

Perpetua 100 pt

Trajan 100 pt

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Perpetua

Eric Gill, ca. 1928.

First used in the book The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity; therefore the roman was named Perpetua, and the italic was named Felicity.

The font is also called Lapidary 333.

T

he world’s first underground electric-railway system was controlled by the Underground Electric Railways of London, Ltd., for 20 years.

A statistician and attorney named Frank Pick was hired to improve its publicity and design so he asked the calligrapher Edward Johnston to design a typeface that would have the simplicity of letters from the past and a 20th-Century aura in 1916. Johnston succeeded in designing a sans serif type with strokes of consistent weight and the proportions of classical Roman inscriptions. This inspired the Gill Sans designed by Johnston’s former student, Eric Gill. Produced between 1928 and 1930, it included 14 styles with proportions derived from roman types. The letters on Trajan’s column had inspired Gill’s first typeface, Perpetua.

felicitas

The Roman personification of success. Her temples were closely associated with the person of the emperor and one was located on the Forum Romanum.

Eric Gill was commissioned by Stanley Morison, a Typographical Advisor at Monotype in 1923, for a new, original and legible type design for The Times development and as well as to expand Monotype’s typeface library.

Despite Gill’s disdain for mechanical devices and Mono-

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type’s management, he agreed to work for Morison in 1925. Perpetua was released in 1929 in United Kingdom as Transitional Serif. Its original format is Metal (Foundry) and distributors are Adobe, Bitstream, and Tilde. Gill designed two companion italic faces for Perpetua. He started with a typeface called Felicity in 1930, which was a sloped roman upon the request from Morison’s preference for a book text, but Monotype management declared it “worthless” so he redesigned the italics and accomplished Perpetua Italic in 1932.

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The Empero who left the legacy of Trajan’s market and

or

y s d

P

{‘p’ and ‘q’ have calligraphic upstroke on descenders.}

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In the begining there was only chaos. Then out of the void appeared Erebus, the unknowable place where death dwells, and Night. All else was empty, endless, darkness. Then somehow Love was born bringing a start of order. From Love came Light and Day. Once there was Light and Day, Gaea, the earth appeared.

Then Erebus slept with Night, who gave birth to Ether, the heavenly light, and to Day the earthly light. Then Night alone produced Fate, Death, Sleep, Dreams, Nemesis, and others that come to man out of darkness.

Meanwhile Gaea alone gave birth to Uranus, the heavens. Uranus became Gaea’s mate covering her on all sides. Together they produced the three Cyclopes, the three Hecatoncheires, and twelve Titans.

Uranus was a bad father and husband, who hated the Hecatoncheires. Imprisoned them by pushing them into the hidden places of the earth, Gaea’s womb. This angered Gaea and she ploted against Uranus. She made a flint sickle and tried to get her children to attack Uranus. All were too afraid except, the youngest Titan, Cronus.

This child was Zeus. She prepaired a drink for Cronus design to make him vomit up the other children. Rhea convinced Cronus to accept his son and Zeus was allowed to return to Mount Olympus as Cronus’s cupbearer. This gave Zeus the opertunity to slip Cronus the specially prepaired drink. This worked as planned and the other five children were vomitted up. Being gods they were unharmed. They were thankful to Zeus and made him their leader.

Cronus was yet to be defeated. He and the Titans, except Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Oceanus, fought to retain their power. Atlas became their leader in battle and it looked for some time as though they would win and put the young gods down. However, Zeus was cunning. He went down to Tartarus and freed the Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires. Prometheus joined Zeus as well. He returned to battle with his new allies. The Cyclopes provided Zeus with lighting bolts for weapons. The Hecatoncheires he set in ambush armed with boulders. With the time right, Zeus retreated drawing the Titans into the Hecatoncheires’s ambush.

Creation of the Roman World A heroic story of the Brave Zeus Gaea and Cronus set up an ambush of Uranus as he lay with Gaea at night. Cronus grabed his father and castrated him, with the stone sickle, throwing the severed genitales into the ocean. The fate of Uranus is not clear. He either died, withdrew from the earth, or exiled himself to Italy. He departed with a promise that Cronus and the Titans would be punished. His spilt blood came the Giants, the Ash Tree Nymphs, and the Erinnyes. From the sea foam where his genitales fell came Aphrodite.

The Hecatoncheires rained down hundreds of boulders with such a fury the Titans thought the mountains were falling on them. They broke and ran giving Zeus victory.

Zeus exiled the Titans who had fought against him into Tartarus. Except for Atlas, who was singled out for the special punishment of holding the world on his shoulders. However, even after this victory Zeus was not safe. Gaea angry that her children had been imprisoned gave birth to a last offspring, Typhoeus.

Cronus, next ruler, imprisoned the Cyclopes and the Typhoeus was so fearsome that most of the gods Hecatoncheires in Tartarus. He married his sister fled. However, Zeus faced the monster and flinging Rhea, under his rule the Titans had many offspring. his lighting bolts killed it. Typhoeus was burried He ruled for many ages. However, Gaea and Uranus under Mount Etna in Sicily. both had prophesied that he would be overthrown by Much later a final challenge to Zeus rule was made a son. To avoid this Cronus swallowed each of his by the Giants. They went so far as to attempt to inchildren as they were born. Rhea was angry at the treatment of the children and ploted against Cronus. vade Mount Olympus, piling mountain upon mountain in an effort to reach the top. But, the gods When it came time to give birth to her sixth child, Rhea hid herself, then she left the child to be raised had grown strong and with the help of Heracles the Giants were subdued or killed. by nymphs. To concel her act she wrapped a stone in swaddling cloths and passed it off as the baby to Cronus, who swallowed it.

the type, based on gill's

inscriptional lettering,

is intended to have

a chiselled quality

characteristic

of engraving.

a dignified,

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au tho rity.

somewhat cold

face with a

feeling of

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He panicked, where had his love gone? When the water became calm the water spirit returned.

“ Why, beautiful being, do you

shun me? Surely my face is not one to repel you. The nymphs love me, and you yourself look not indifferent upon me. When I stretch forth my arms you do the same; and you smile upon me and answer my beckonings with the like.�

Again he reached out and again his love disappeared. Frightened to touch the water, Narcissus lay still by the pool gazing into the eyes of his vision.

B {calligraphic italic g looks something like a backwards, upside-down B}

In the italic,

D, J, R and

are cursive,

others are “inclined momnumental characters� (Morison); nonetheless, the face as a whole has a happy and original harmony.

g

“I was cut off from hope in that sad place, Which yet to name my spirit loathes and fears; My father held his hand upon his face; I, blinded by my tears, “Still strove to speak; my voice was thick with sighs, As in a dream. Dimly I could descry The stern black-bearded kings, with wolfish eyes, Waiting to see me die.

“The tall masts quivered as they lay afloat, The temples and the people and the shore; One drew a sharp knife through my tender throat Slowly, and nothing more.”

{‘p’ and ‘q’ have calligraphic upstroke on descenders.}

Perpetua is well known for

its high

Beyond the Type: In addition to his type designs and sculptures, Gill is known for his contributions to book design and illustration, most notably The Four Gospels which he illustrated beautifully. A deeply religious man, Gill nevertheless led a somewhat unconventional and alternative, often monastic lifestyle, including taking on many lovers and producing erotic engravings. However, he is still best remembered for his contributions to the arts and design.

contrast in the thick & thin strokes.

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Athena is the Greek virgin goddess of reason, intelligent activity, arts and literature.

P e r p e t u a

c / u l d

d e s c r i b e d

b e

a s :

e l e g a n t , s / p h i s t i c a t e d , e n g l i s h , s e r i f ,

a n d

t r a n s i t i / n a l .

I t a

i s

a l s /

t r a d i t i / n a l

t h / u g h i n

c / n s i d e r e d

l a t e

d u e

t /

i t

w a s

2 0 s

a n d

t y p e

a s

e v e n

d e s i g n e d e a r l y

3 0 s

i t s h i g h c / n t r a s t .

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Enraged at her exclusion, the goddess threw a golden apple among the guests with the inscription, “For the most beautiful.�

Thereupon Juno, Venus, and Minerva, each claimed the apple. Jupiter not willing to decide in so delicate a matter, sent the goddesses to Mount Ida, where the beautiful shepherd Paris was tending his flocks, and to him was committed the decision.

O Transitional

{transitional; vertical stress}

Typefaces classified as Transitional primarily have greater stroke contrast in comparison to Old Style typefaces. Their serifs are more sharp, a larger x-height does define their lowercase letters, and the stress of curved stroke letterforms is or nearly so vertical. Baskerville, Bell, Bulmer, Fournier and Perpetua are Transitional typefaces.

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{transitional} {A has a flat top} {arms of ‘e’ are almost equal}

Minerva was the goddess of wisdom, but on one occasion she did a very foolish thing.

“Letters

However, upon hiring John Slabyk, and Scott Thomas, the campaign made the change to Gotham, and the font was used on numerous signs and posters for the campaign. Monotype ended up settling down on Monotype Plantin for The Times, but it is in use for the Continental Airlines, University of Edinburgh, and University of Pennsylvania. Original materials for the Obama campaign used the serif Perpetua. However, upon hiring John Slabyk, and Scott Thomas, the campaign made the change to Gotham, and the font was used on numerous signs and posters for the campaign. Monotype ended up settling down on Monotype Plantin for The Times, but it is in use for the Continental Airlines, University of Edinburgh, and University of Pennsylvania. Original materials for the Obama campaign used the serif Perpetua. However, upon hiring John Slabyk, and Scott Thomas, the campaign made the change to Gotham, and the font was used on numerous signs and posters for the campaign. Monotype ended up settling down on Monotype Plantin for The Times, but it is in use for the Continental Airlines, University of Edinburgh, and University of Pennsylvania. Original materials for the Obama campaign used the serif Perpetua. However, upon hiring John Slabyk, and Scott Thomas, the campaign made the change to Gotham, and the font was used on numerous signs and posters for the campaign. Monotype ended up settling down on Monotype Plantin for The Times, but it is in use for the Continental Airlines, University of Edinburgh, and University of Pennsylvania. Original materials for the Obama campaign used the serif Perpetua. However, upon hiring John Slabyk, and Scott Thomas, the campaign made the change to Gotham, and the font was used on numerous signs and posters for the campaign. Monotype ended up settling down on Monotype Plantin for The Times, but it is in use for the Continental Airlines, University of Edinburgh, and University of Pennsylvania. Original materials for the Obama campaign used the serif Perpetua.

However, upon hiring John Slabyk, and Scott Thomas, the campaign made the change to Gotham, and the font was used on numerous signs and posters for the campaign. Monotype ended up settling down on Monotype Plantin for The Times, but it is in use for the Continental Airlines, University of Edinburgh, and University of Pennsylvania. Original materials for the Obama campaign used the serif Perpetua. However, upon hiring John Slabyk, and Scott Thomas, the campaign made the change to Gotham, and the font was used on numerous signs and posters for the campaign. Monotype ended up settling down on Monotype Plantin for The Times, but it is in use for the Continental Airlines, University of Edinburgh, and University of Pennsylvania. Original materials for the Obama campaign used the serif Perpetua. However, upon hiring John Slabyk, and Scott Thomas, the campaign made the change to Gotham, and the font was used on numerous signs and posters for the campaign. Monotype ended up settling down on Monotype Plantin for The Times, but it is in use for the Continental Airlines, University of Edinburgh, and University of Pennsylvania. Original materials for the Obama campaign used the serif Perpetua. However, upon hiring John Slabyk, and Scott Thomas, the campaign made the change to Gotham, and the font was used on numerous signs and posters for the campaign. Monotype ended up settling down on Monotype Plantin for The Times, but it is in use for the Continental Airlines, University of Edinburgh, and University of Pennsylvania. Original Materials for

are things, not pictures of things.�

As the twins grew older, they decided they did not want to take care of sheep. They wanted to be kings and decided to build a city on the shores of the Tiber. Both wanted to be the only king. In a fit of rage, Romulus picked up a rock, killed his brother, and made himself king.

That’s how Rome started.

{r has calligraphic ear}

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was released.

A

fter being commissioned

by Stanley Morison, Eric Gill started designing Perpetua. As a British sculptor, stone cutter, typeface designer, and a print maker. Due to his dislikes for mechanical devices, instead of using pantograms, his large-scale drawings of Perpetua were given to Parisian punchcutter Charles Malin to interpret and cut from, then

the roman

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Aa

Bb

Appian’s History of Rome: Trajan’s Arabian war “We have lost the way.”

O

And when the crow screeched again, he said

“We have M completely

lost the way.”

G

N

Ee

Dd

{‘f’ is wide at top}

I J Cc

H

Monotype management accepted the Perpetua design, albeit grudgingly.

However, when Gill and Morison saw prints from the punches, they deemed the results unacceptable. This meant more work on the part of the Monotype production department.

K L Z

“wor t h

V

S W

le s s . ”

X

T

Y

R

{‘g’ has rather a long link}

EURYSTHEUS DID NOT WANT HERCULES COMING AFTER HIS CROWN. IT WOULD NEVER HAVE OCCURRED TO HERCULES TO DO SO. BUT AN EVIL LITTLE MAN LIKE EURYSTHEUS WOULD NEVER HAVE BELIEVED THAT. EACH TIME EURYSTHEUS AND JUNO GAVE HERCULES A TASK TO ACCOMPLISH, THEY WERE SURE THAT HERCULES WOULD NEVER LIVE GODTHROUGH WITH A IT. BUT HERCULES SURPRISED THEM. HE NOT ONLY GREAT STRENGTH: LIVED, HE HAD GREAT ADVENTURES, DISCOVERED TRUE FRIENDS, AND RID THE WORLD OF SOME REALLY NASTY CRITTERS.

Hercules, the Latin equivalent of Heracles, was the son of Jupiter and Alcmene. His jealous stepmother, Juno, tried to murder the infant Hercules by putting a serpent in his cradle. Luckily for Hercules, he was born with great strength and killed the serpent.

STORY OF HERCULES

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Despite its long gestation, Perpetua was hailed as a fresh, new design, quite unlike any that preceded it. It was one of the first of many original designs to emerge from the Monotype Drawing Office. Along with its three titling fonts, it became one of the mostused typeface families for fine book typography.

Today, it is a staple of graphic communication, a true Monotype masterwork. {1234567890}

ULTOR a title given to Mars when, after defeating the murderers of Julius Caesar at Philippi, Augustus built a temple to him in the Forum at Rome.

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regular

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italic

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bold

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“There are now about as many different varieties of letters as there are different kinds of fools.�

bold italic

small caps & oldstype figures italic oldstyle figures bold oldstyle figures bold italic oldstyle figures

{A has a flat top}

istory

h

Venus’s sacred signs included water, roses and above all, myrtle, which the Romans cultivated as an originally exotic import with long-established connections to the Greek goddess Aphrodite. Myrtle was admired for its white, sweetly scented flowers, its aromatic, evergreen leaves and medical-magical properties. It was used to cleanse and purify, to avert the evil eye, and to treat various ailments, including infertility and diminished libido. Myrtle was gradually assimilated to Rome’s native Venus. An existing Roman cult to the ancient Romano-Etruscan water-goddess Cloacina, in which myrtle was employed as a purifier, gave rise to Venus Cloacina. Roman folk-etymology connected myrtle (Latin murtos) to an ancient, obscure goddess Murcia, later identified by Pliny as “Venus of the Myrtles, whom we now call Murcia”. In the Roman ovation, a lesser form of Roman triumph, generals wore a myrtle crown to purify themselves and their armies of blood-guilt; the ovation was assimilated to Venus Victrix (“Victorious Venus”), who was held to have granted and purified its relatively “easy” victory.

Myrtle’s cleansing effects were anciently associated with chastity. Through association with Venus as a goddess of fertility, seduction and unbridled libido, it was also considered an aphrodisiac. The female pudendum, particularly the clitoris, was known as murtos (myrtle); wine tinctured with myrtle oil was thought particularly suitable for women.

Though Venus played an essential role at the prenuptial rites, and certainly during the wedding night, custom forbade the use of myrtle in the bridal crowns; the marriage itself was a serious and solemn affair, and belonged to Juno. At the rites to the Bona Dea (“The Good Goddess”, who was also considered a “Women’s goddess”), myrtle, Venus and everything male were banned. The women celebrated their goddess with sacrifice and wine; not Venus’ ordinary, everyday wine but Jupiter’s wine, the strongest, sacrificial-grade otherwise reserved for the Roman gods and Roman men. With all signs of Venus excluded, along with everything male, the women could get virtuously, religiously drunk. Roses were a sign of Venus, offered in her Porta Collina rites.

small caps & oldstyle figures capitals

A F L Q V

B C D G H I J M N O R S T W X Y

E K P U Z

AOU

R perpetua Bold Oldstyle Figures examples of transitional letters

small caps & oldstyle figures lower

a f l q v

b c g h i m n r s w x

d j o t y

e k p u z

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

the

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CAPITALS are admired for display

work. {1234567890}

{an unusual tapered top}

Aphrodite is the goddess of love, desire and beauty.

In addition to her natural gifts she has a magical girdle that compels anyone she wishes to desire her.

Love, desire and beauty.

“The design expresses a note of particularity and self-consciousness not universally acceptable. . . . Perpetua may be judged in the small sizes to have achieved the object of providing a distinguished form for a distinguished text; and, in the large sizes, a noble, monumental, appearance.”

— Stanley Morison

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