[DCRM-L] [External] Interesting letterforms

[Deborah J. Leslie]

I wonder if the individual sorts were filed down with the swash extension soldered to it (don't know what metallurgy was available at the time), as were filed V's, in which the right serif of the left sort was filed off so that the two 'v' sorts sat very closely together. Even then, there are hairline spaces in the inking. I don't know that two separate type pieces, regardless of how closely they were placed, could create an unbroken inked surface.



______________________
Deborah J Leslie, M.A., M.L.S. | Senior Cataloger | Folger Shakespeare Library | 201 East Capitol Street, S.E. Washington, DC 20003 | djleslie at folger.edu<mailto:djleslie at folger.edu> | www.folger.edu<http://www.folger.edu/> | Opinions her own

From: DCRM-L <dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu> On Behalf Of Ryan Hildebrand
Sent: Monday, 25 October, 2021 16:05
To: DCRM Users' Group <dcrm-l at lib.byu.edu>
Subject: Re: [DCRM-L] [External] Interesting letterforms

These are swash characters, which I am not accustomed to seeing in the body of a text. Whether they were cast as such, or formed from separate pieces of type (the terminal of both "a" and "e" would have needed modifications) I do not know, but here each instance looks vastly different from another, which I would think argues against having been cast. Interested to hear what others think about this.


Ryan Hildebrand
Authorities & Special Collections Cataloging Librarian
University of Oregon Libraries
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR 97403-1299
(541) 346-1844




From: DCRM-L <dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu<mailto:dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu>> On Behalf Of Shoemaker, Elizabeth Anne
Sent: Monday, October 25, 2021 12:07 PM
To: DCRM Users' Group <dcrm-l at lib.byu.edu<mailto:dcrm-l at lib.byu.edu>>
Subject: Re: [DCRM-L] [External] Interesting letterforms

I've never come across them, but I feel pretty certain that the additional tail is a separate piece of type from the letter itself. I am curious to see the responses about this!
Beth

Beth Shoemaker
Rare Book Librarian
Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, & Rare Book Library
Emory University

[cid:image001.png at 01D7C9BF.A84B90A0]

From: DCRM-L <dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu<mailto:dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu>> On Behalf Of Brian Bethel
Sent: Monday, October 25, 2021 1:40 PM
To: dcrm-l at lib.byu.edu<mailto:dcrm-l at lib.byu.edu>
Subject: [External] [DCRM-L] Interesting letterforms

Hello all --

I'm curious if anyone has come across the 'a' and 'e' letterforms shared in the images above. They are almost exclusively used at the right-most position of each line, the exception being the image shared above where the 'e' is at the end of the sentence but not the right-most position of the line. My initial assumption was that the letterforms were for spacing purposes, but with the inconsistent usage, I'm not totally sure.

The item in question is a papal bull printed in Bologna in 1718 by the heirs of Vittorio Benacci at the Stamparia Camerale. Any insights would be most welcome!

Thanks,
Brian Bethel
Rare Books Cataloger, Stanford University Special Collections

Brian Bethel<https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/lu3iC1wpJMT7LE7fLZfzX?domain=urldefense.com>
Rare Books Cataloger & Project Archivist

Stanford Libraries

Academy Hall

415 Broadway, floor 1, 8406

Redwood City, CA 94063




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