Typophile

1923 ATF Specimen Book

Nick Curtis

Got a copy? The one I have is, maddeningly, missing page 293, which should show the full character set for Colwell Handletter Italic. I'm currently in the process of reworking my version of same (McKenna Handletter), and it would be handy to have a scan of the original to double-check my interpolations, extrapolations and wild guesses.

If you have same and you believe in fair trade, I can swap scans of any items(s) you'd like from the 1912 or 1934 ATF catalogs, or Barnhart Brothers & Spindler Catalog #9 (c 1907) or #25 (c 1925). If you're a capitalist, I would also be willing to trade a 600 dpi grayscale scan of same for a copy of Indie Fonts 2 or two of my commercial fonts ($39.95 and $40 retail values, respectively).

Finally, at the front of the BB&S catalog #25, they previewed typeface in development at the time the catalog was released, one of which was called Trenholm Cursive. That catalog was the last that BB&S produced before giving up the ghost (actually relinquishing its semi-autonomous nature and dissolving back into ATF), and it doesn't appear in the 1934 ATF catalog. I did locate at least one reference to it from a person who claimed to have the typeface in metal but, unfortunately, it was a dead link. Anybody seen it? Anybody got some paper on it? Anybody want to wheel and deal?

Bob Evans

Trenholm Cursive and Oldstyle are shown in Mac McGrews " American Typefaces of the Twentieth Century, that is all I could find on it.

John Hudson

I don't have a scanner, and my table-top set up is packed (hence the need for flash), but if the image below is of use to you, let me know and I can e-mail you the full size photo.

Thomas Phinney

I've got the 1923 ATF book and a scanner. I'd be willing to do a scan for you some time this weekend.

For Trenholm, I'd suggest you try the Cary Library at RIT and see if they have anything. That's the sort of thing they often have.

Regards,

T

Nick Curtis

Thanks to all for the information and offers of assistance: I think I'm covered. Thomas, the suggestion about RIT reminds me (once again and painfully) that I am only about twenty miles removed, not only from the Smithsonian, but also from the Maurice Annenberg collection of type specimen catalogs at the University of Maryland, College Park. If I can EVER see my way clear to taking a couple of consecutive weekdays off that don't involve family obligations of one kind or another, I definitely need to get over there.

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