Hi Yves,

"Aldus Manutius (1449–1515)/Francesco Griffo (1450–1518) > first italic type, based on cancellaresca handwriting"

I think is the other way around: the Cancellaresca was based on the italics cut by Grifo. The first italic script was invented by Ludovico Vicentino de'll Arrighi, and published in the Operina, around 1527, also known as "humanistica cursiva" and later, in several countries like Spain and Portugal, was also known as Bastarda (bastard) because it was a deviation from its original (Grifo).

Hope this help.
Best,
Dino

It sure helps, Dino, thanks for correcting that.

--- Roman Type ---
1465
Conrad Sweynheym and Arnold Pannartz
Created the first roman type in the world
Source:
Nicholas Fabian
Early Masters of type design
http://web.archive.org/web/20000620143828/http://webcom.net/~nfhome/earl...

--- Formal Scripts ---
1733
The Universal Penman
George Bickham
Engravings

1890
MacKellar Smith and Jordan (ATF Predecesor) - 40 Points Spencerian Script - Ornamented Capitals

1893
Royal Script - Central Type Foundry Branch, ATF

1895
Bank Script - James West, BB&S

1897
Commercial Script (a Spencerian script) Inland Type Foundry
http://luc.devroye.org/Inland-CommercialScript.jpg

1902
Typo Script - Morris Fuller Benton

1905
Typo Upright (Originally Tiffany Upright) - Morris Fuller Benton

1906
Commercial Script - Morris Fuller Benton

1912
Society Script - Deberny and Peignot

1923
Palace Script by Stephenson Blake and Monotype

1931
Troubador, Edmund Thiele, Haas'sche Schriftgiesserei

1936
Forelle - Erich Mollowitz, Buffalo Type Foundry

1942
Brush Script - Robert E Smith, ATF

1955
Baltimore Script, Baltimore Type Foundry
Juliet, Nebiolo

1956
Formal Script - R.H. Middleton, Ludlow
Murray Hill - Emil Klumpp, ATF

1957
Kunstler Script - Hans Bohn, Stempel (A great one)

1987
Freestyle Script - Martin Wait, Letrast - (The Digital version should be fixed to connect as it was supposed to)

1992
Young Baroque - Doyald Young

2011
Young Gallant - Doyald Young

I assume you'll also be talking about the wondrous Mister K!

hhp

See my post of Feb. 20, 2009, 4.51am:
http://typophile.com/node/54972

My notes on the origins of OpenType Contextual Alternates:
http://ilovetypography.com/2011/04/01/engaging-contextuality/

Also an article I wrote in 2004:
http://www.biblioteca.co.cr/pdf/Scriptom.pdf

I think is the other way around: the Cancellaresca was based on the italics cut by Griffo. The first italic script was invented by Ludovico Vicentino de'll Arrighi, and published in the Operina, around 1527....

Arrighi's cancellaresca represents a formalisation of the humanist cursive hand. It's accurate to suggest that this was in response to the typographic italic, part of the flowering of fine writing in reaction to print publishing that occurred in the 16th Century in Italy and elsewhere, but incorrect to say that 'the first italic script' was invented by Arrighi and based on the Griffo italic types. Griffo's italic types -- and the Aldine pocket editions for which they were cut -- were inspired by contemporary informal copy books, written in the style classified by Michelle P. Brown as littera humanistica corsiva libraria. The specimen shown in Brown's book, A guide to western historical scripts from antiquity to 1600, is from 1483. Examples in the catalogue Rome Reborn are dated to the third quarter of the 15th Century.

What Arrighi and the other writing masters of the 16th Century do is to take what had been a quickly written scholars' hand, relatively messy and inconsistent -- characteristics reflected in Griffo's types -- and restyle it as an elegant secretarial hand. As I say, this is part of the scribal reaction to print publishing: losing the copyist market to type, they improve the quality of their product, making writing a luxury item instead of a commodity. Arrighi then, in turn, translates his improved italic hand into type, and other printers base their italics on the hands of particular writing masters. [Mardersteig makes a convincing case, for example, that Marcolini's italic types are based on models provided by Francesco Alunno, probably the greatest calligrapher of his time.]

Pablo & Nick, thanks a heap!

Hrant, I am not sure yet. FF Mister K is more casual handwriting than lettering/calligraphy, and the event I am talking at is specifically about calligraphy. The end of my exploration will be Liza Pro, as that is one hell of a clever face that beautifully simulates advertising scripts.

Oh, I thought by "digital handwriting and calligraphy" you meant two things.

hhp

Hello Yves,
The Civilté type you mentioned is surely a crucial point in the development of modern script types; it is highly influent on the 'ronde' (or 'financière') and other 'French' scripts popular well into the last century (they are usually upright, bearing some gothic component and suggesting the use of a rigid, truncated pen).
The work of Pierre Moreau, from the 1640s, is another milestone: it shows the influence of his contemporary calligraphic (and typographic) styles, namely the changes in the way the pen is cut (informed by Cresci) and the delicate thin strokes related to copperplate engraving; Moreau's hand is slow, round, 'engraved'. The so-called 'copperplate' or 'English' style (it will dominate the field of formal scripts up until no long ago) descends from that path, notably taking its mature shape in the hands of Thomas Cottrell, in the 1770s; according to Morison the same derivation applies to most of the other so-called 'round hands'.
Another notable fact is the introduction in the US of the 'circular scripts', in the second half of the 19th Century, some of whose reach a degree of informality never seen before (and hardly later, until Excoffon times). I think formality is the key to understand, analyze and describe script typefaces; this becomes more and more true from the 1930s, (the decade when the most exciting things happen in the field, in my opinion).
This is a bit of a quick comment, please get in touch if you need reference texts or anything else: I'm happy to help, if I can; and do forgive my Italo-English.
Best,
Riccardo

> Moreau

Do I remember correctly that Dyana Weissman was a big fan of his work?
If so it might be worth getting in touch with her.

hhp

Nevermind, I just remembered that was Motteroz.
(I do have samples of Moreau somewhere though.)

hhp

Don’t forget about The Theuerdank. German wikipedia has lots of info, as does Updike.

Does anyone know when the first movable type on slanted body was produced?

Eurocentrism and metallurgy bias seduces us into forgetting that the Chinese were using movable type long before Gutenberg...

Not to mention the Koreans. But CJK scripts don't have a tradition of slanted forms (which can damage when kerned beyond the rectangle).

hhp

Fair enough, but my talk was about reproducing script designs in movable type, so this is irrelevant. :)

You know about "wing set" sorts, right?

hhp

I found an "open-air" scan I'd once made of a "wing set" sort:

* The "PLEASE" set in a narrow grot, smaller.

hhp

Yes, Armina Ghazaryan sent me images of such a "wing set" sort from the MIAT Ghent type collection. Is that the official name for this type of type?

It's the only term I've heard. I think I got it from the McGrew book.

hhp

These may not quite fit your category, but some typewriters were permanently configured with script. In addition, most later typewriters with interchangeable elements had script elements available. These included IBM and Smith-Corona type balls and the many printing terminals and desk printers that had type wheels.

Somewhere I have an envelope with separate elements that replaced (or went over) a typewriter's hammer-style elements. While mine aren't script, I have little doubt that they would have been offered.

- Herb