| _version_ | 1866902087870185472 |
|---|---|
| author | Nakano, Shotaro |
| author_facet | Nakano, Shotaro |
| contents | <p>This paper revises the date for the first American sans-serif typeface explicitly <strong>named “Gothic.”</strong> Standard references, such as Alexander S. Lawson’s <em>Anatomy of a Typeface</em>, cite <strong>1837</strong> (Boston Type & Stereotype Foundry) as the earliest occurrence. However, I identify the same design in earlier use, in documents published in <strong>1836.</strong> This finding shifts the no-later-than date for a Gothic-named sans-serif to <strong>1836.</strong></p> <p>Paul Shaw, in <em>Revival Type</em>, has suggested that Boston Type & Stereotype Foundry first showed a “Gothic” as early as <strong>1832</strong>, but in the digitized <em>Specimen of Printing Types</em> (Boston, 1832) I have consulted, no sans-serif labeled “Gothic” is visible. That 1832 attribution may derive from other Boston Foundry materials not yet examined.</p> <p>This study distinguishes between the <strong>existence of sans-serif printing in the U.S.</strong> and the <strong>application of the name “Gothic.”</strong> The conclusion is limited to the earliest attested <strong>Gothic-named sans-serif</strong>, which can now be firmly dated to <strong>1836.</strong></p> |
| format | Recurso digital |
| id | zenodo_https___doi_org_10_5281_zenodo_17206985 |
| institution | Zenodo |
| language | eng |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publisher | Zenodo |
| record_format | zenodo |
| spellingShingle | From 1837 to 1836: The Earliest U.S. Sans-Serif Named "Gothic" Nakano, Shotaro typography sans-serif Gothic Boston Type & Stereotype Foundry nineteenth century printing <p>This paper revises the date for the first American sans-serif typeface explicitly <strong>named “Gothic.”</strong> Standard references, such as Alexander S. Lawson’s <em>Anatomy of a Typeface</em>, cite <strong>1837</strong> (Boston Type & Stereotype Foundry) as the earliest occurrence. However, I identify the same design in earlier use, in documents published in <strong>1836.</strong> This finding shifts the no-later-than date for a Gothic-named sans-serif to <strong>1836.</strong></p> <p>Paul Shaw, in <em>Revival Type</em>, has suggested that Boston Type & Stereotype Foundry first showed a “Gothic” as early as <strong>1832</strong>, but in the digitized <em>Specimen of Printing Types</em> (Boston, 1832) I have consulted, no sans-serif labeled “Gothic” is visible. That 1832 attribution may derive from other Boston Foundry materials not yet examined.</p> <p>This study distinguishes between the <strong>existence of sans-serif printing in the U.S.</strong> and the <strong>application of the name “Gothic.”</strong> The conclusion is limited to the earliest attested <strong>Gothic-named sans-serif</strong>, which can now be firmly dated to <strong>1836.</strong></p> |
| title | From 1837 to 1836: The Earliest U.S. Sans-Serif Named "Gothic" |
| topic | typography sans-serif Gothic Boston Type & Stereotype Foundry nineteenth century printing |
| url | https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17206985 |