Does anyone know the history of this typeface. Aside from brief bio’s of Fuller Benton (usually in connection to ATF) there doesn’t seem to be a lot of information out there about Clearface Gothic.
Typophile
node 27626
Hi Judah
According to Jaspert’s Enclopedia of Typefaces it was first produced by ATF in 1907, but became a stock face of many foundries subsequently - Stephenson Blake, Lulow, Mergenthaler Linotype, Lanston Monotype, Intertype. So it was ubiquitous, to say the least.
The most info I’ve ever seen on this face in a single place would be in ATF’s 1923 Specimen Book - see if you can hunt down a copy - there’ll be about 4 or 5 pages of very handsome specimen setting and some background blurb about legibility testing, schoolbooks and the like…
Of course it was later the basis for ITC Clearface - but I suspect that it was a victim of the ITC house-style mangling when it got recut.
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