Typophile

(x) MAKE 70's font ID / Italienne - Caslon Italian aka Slab Sheriff {john N, Frode}

Danny Miller

Looking for an id on this nice chunky 70s looking serif font. anybody?

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thanks so much john!!!!!!!!

Graphic designer/type designer Paul Barnes of Commercial Type also have a revival named, after the original: Caslon Italian. It was originally drawn by William Caslon, but didn’t get as much attention as his other more famous designs.

This blog post by Paul Shaw mentions the two and also a third by Justin Howes that wasn’t released before he passed away. Last time I checked, Caslon Italian, wasn’t available commercially so I think your only option is Slab Sheriff. The original smokeproofs/punches (I’m not sure what he refers to by smokeproofs) are available at the St. Bride Library and I believe there is some connection to St. Bride Type (edit: yes, it’s run by Paul Barnes). I’ve also seen some digital samples of the original proofs online, but I couldn’t find the link now.

Here’s the short blurb Barnes wrote on his website about Caslon Italian:
The Italian marks one of the stranger episodes in the typefounders experimentation in the early 19th century. Reversing the fatface’s stress, so thins become thicks, and thicks become thins, creates a unusual effect. Caslon introduced them in 1821 and the punches remain in St Bride library. Unlike the other styles, Italian, did not attain widescale success, and most foundries did not copy Caslon’s lead.

The type foundry selling Slab Sheriff, Match and Kerosene, doesn’t even care to mention that the actual design is someone else’s, so I would personally stay away from it and rather pester Paul.

Frode,
making smoke proofs is the method of controlling the progress in punch cutting. The punch gets blackened with soot, then (by hand) pressed on paper. This way, the punchcutter immediately can see and check how the letter would look like.

Just recently, Chester Jenkins of Village released a typeface inspired by Caslon Italian called Arbor.

I also came across another revival called OK Corral by Michael Hagemann released in 2003.

Captured from web.archive.org on 19 Mar 2015. view this capture