Typographic Trade Cards

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La Typographie

This first volume of La Typographie, on the techniques of book and graphic arts, was published in Paris in 1930 by Henry Babou under the direction of Marcel Valotaire. This cover photo by Jacques Evers is one of 30 photogravure plates of his work. I first discovered this beautiful French journal in the Wolfsonian archive at the University of Florida Digital Collections, however the title page seen just below was sourced here. 

These beautiful photogravure prints seen above of Evers photos are the only images available from the Wolfsonian Archives, however I was delighted to learn the entire book is made available from the International Monotype Memory Project (IMMP.) In their link to a black & white PDF (which appears to be from a reproduction), you can download this entire book complete with text (in French), photos and illustrations on the production of a fine press book;)

A Glimpse of Modernist Type Design in Germany

This set of seven type specimen sample brochures, released by the Schriftguss A-G foundry in Dresden in the late 1930s, are not only great examples of modernist design, but a nice record of foundry types being created in Germany at that time. Many of these fonts such as Helion, Diamant, and Duplex appear just as modern today as when they were released in 1937. The entire lot of these four-page type specimen brochures are available here.

Luc Devroye's extensive informational archive of typography lists a number of the type designers associated with the Schriftguss foundry, and select pages from specimen catalogs. Also included is the original Schriftguss A-G logo.

At the end of WWII in 1945, Schriftguss and two other type foundries merged and were incorporated into the state-run East German foundry, VEB Typoart. The Typoart designers were a dedicated and passionate group who enjoyed a certain amount of artistic freedom, and chiefly responsible for developing typefaces for East German publishers. Shortly after the reunification of Germany in 1990, Typoart was sold into private hands who eventually dissolved the company in 1995. Unfortunately, the copyright status of many of the Typoart font designs remains unclear, but you can read a fascinating account at PingMag of their legacy and some independent efforts by various groups, including Typoart Friends who wish to further a campaign to document and revive these fonts and credit the individual designers.   

Vital Signs in Tacoma

This fabulous collection of Polaroid photos on RoadsidePictures Flickrstream once belonged to an employee of a sign company in Washington state. Most of the photos are taken in and around the city of Tacoma in the 1960s with a Polaroid Land camera. Some of the old black & white Polaroid films produced the most rich, warm tones and detail, but they would fade away completely unless you gave each print a stinky preservative coating with a roll-on stick. All of these Polaroid photos are remarkable for their historic, typographic, AND photographic significance. Though most of these Tacoma signs are now long gone; some still show vital signs of life. Many, including this Wigwam, I actually recall from my youth. With their large "teepee type" signage—they were much like the K-Mart of their day. I do appreciate how the A in Wigwam reveals itself as a teepee, yet someone forgot to mind the gap between letters.  

This homey motel still exists on Pacific Avenue South. But do they still have ice picnic tables? 

I definitely recall this towering sign for the discount department store "Gov-Mart" which later changed its name to the "Gov-Mart/Baza'r" near the Fort Lewis army base, just South of Tacoma. Is that a missile underpinning that bizarrely ugly type? 

The sad little Royal Typewriter shop ;(  

This 1960s Olympic Village, in nearby Gig Harbor, must have made a desperate pitch for the 1988 Summer Olympics? 

I believe the P-X Sooper Market was located on the military base. Their sign, with the distinguished looking ladder and suspended colored balls, had considerable character. In the far background, note the spinning "Norge ball", as they were affectionately known. Norge Village Cleaners had one of the grand old signs spiraling across America's laundromat landscapes in the 1960s. A few of these polka-dot globes still remain, but they are rapidly disappearing sadly. The "Lucky" sign below is not so lucky. They vanished altogether. 

Looks like Paulson's gets a facelift.

The Johnson Candy Company and sign still exists in the Tacoma hilltop neighborhood today. Sweet!

After over eighty years, the Poodle Dog restaurant and Pup Room, just off of I-5 in Fife, is still open seven days a week. This diner's great old signage was replaced probably shortly after this photo was taken, but it is still a treasure. Also from Roadside Pictures, is this old matchbook cover. For more Tacoma signage photos, be sure to check out his pool of Polaroids here. Not one Polaroid of Bob's Jave Jive on South Tacoma Way; but this roadhouse was a roadsign all itself.

Lastly, but not leastly, my good friend Chandler O'Leary of Tacoma, recently painted an homage to the old Poodle Dog neon sign. She hand-lettered a day and a night time version, in addition to many other memorable old neon signs from Tacoma. They are all currently on display in her "You'll Like Tacoma" exhibition. Learn more about it here.