Black-and-white typography, decorative fonts and chromatic letterforms abound in perforated prints drawn from a Victorian specimen book
As cities around the world rapidly expanded throughout the 1800s, wood type emerged as a useful and economical tool in the creation of large-scale advertisements. Lighter in weight and less cumbersome than metal, it was quickly available in an explosion of expressive styles. One such treatment came from Harrild & Sons, one of London's premier manufacturers of printing equipment, founded in 1809. These dapper and bombastic letterings—showcased in an equally attractive specimen book advertising everything from "Pomeranians" to "Canoes" to "Harmonics"—are the inspiration for this volume of Letterform Archive's Creative Papers series. The 16 oversize perforated sheets contained within this booklet can be torn out and used in a variety of ways: as wrapping paper, wall art, scrapbook material and more. Each design attests to wood type's rich and enduring appeal in both commercial and creative spheres.
STATUS: Forthcoming | 11/24/2026
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Wood Type Creative Papers Nineteenth-Century Letterforms on Display
Published by Letterform Archive Books.
Black-and-white typography, decorative fonts and chromatic letterforms abound in perforated prints drawn from a Victorian specimen book
As cities around the world rapidly expanded throughout the 1800s, wood type emerged as a useful and economical tool in the creation of large-scale advertisements. Lighter in weight and less cumbersome than metal, it was quickly available in an explosion of expressive styles. One such treatment came from Harrild & Sons, one of London's premier manufacturers of printing equipment, founded in 1809. These dapper and bombastic letterings—showcased in an equally attractive specimen book advertising everything from "Pomeranians" to "Canoes" to "Harmonics"—are the inspiration for this volume of Letterform Archive's Creative Papers series. The 16 oversize perforated sheets contained within this booklet can be torn out and used in a variety of ways: as wrapping paper, wall art, scrapbook material and more. Each design attests to wood type's rich and enduring appeal in both commercial and creative spheres.
