Typophile

Research on 'Old West' typography

bstrom

I am taking a 'Literature and Culture of the Old West' course and my professor has suggested I engage the topic of typography, in the attempts to tailor the assignment to my interests and educational goals.

I am having trouble coming up with a clear grasp of what I'm going to do. I'm finding it difficult to pin down the concept of 'Old Western typography.' I am focusing primarily on the entire 19th century. Was there even a difference between typography used on the east coast vs. the western frontiers? There's the Gothic Tuscan style that one often associates with posters of the 'Wild West,' but were those same faces not also used on the east coast?

I'm just looking for a little direction here. The goal for this project is to come up with some original research on typography as it relates to the American West (or the idea of the West) .

I have checked out Rob Roy Kelly's American Wood Type, 1828–1900 from the library, as well as Philip Meggs' History of Graphic Design. Not sure where else to look, but then, I'm also not exactly sure what I'm looking for :/

Thanks in advance!

Craig Eliason

Did you see this thread?
http://typophile.com/node/55989

bstrom

eliason, yes, and I thank you for your reply. Unfortunately that thread doesn't really answer some of my core questions, that is, is there even such a thing as 'Old Western' typography? Is the idea an idealized fabrication? Was the style we most commonly associate with 'Old West' or 'Wild West' also used on the east coast, making the distinction moot?

Does that make sense? Thank you for your reply.

bstrom

I suppose I'm simply looking for a nudge in the right direction, and maybe an indication as to whether or not this is a worthwhile topic to be studying.

blank

Is the idea an idealized fabrication?

Almost everything about the Wild West is a fabrication. Particularly the wild typography—if most of those farm hands and cattle ranchers had been literate they’d have been able to land good jobs in the East and not gone out there to begin with.

The same types were sold from coast to coast, with type, or at least matrices, shipped from foundries to other dealers or foundries all over the country. And of course they knocked each other off like crazy. Printers in the southwest would have had a smaller selection to work from due to being remote and having limited financial means. It’s not likely that many had enough types to set the wild broadsides we associate with the period, much less big presses for working with big wood type. Some of them had a few fonts of wood type for posters, but nothing too fancy (no point ordering fad type on a frontier budget) and often they were of poor quality and hand-carved.

As for the wild tuscan styles, that’s mostly east coast stuff. A good deal originated at William Hamilton Page’s firm, probably inspired by the lettering on lithographed advertising posters. It would be interesting to see if the wild west typography styles originated in advertising for Wild West shows and dime novels sold in East Coast cities and London

bstrom

Ah, thank you DTF. Your points were very helpful! I feel as if I have a place to start.

Cheers!

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