Help with type identification please… Howland??
Here are links to two typefaces that I’m not sure that I have correctly identified:
The first one here I have identified as Howland. It has a very distinct “P” and “D”. It also has a right side circle pin mark with the point size and an “A.” Seems to be pretty old, probably turn of century.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16863237@N06/4199543723/
The second one I have identified as Umbra, but it doesn’t look anything like any umbra I’ve seen.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16863237@N06/4200300514/
Thank you for any help you can provide,
John
They both show up in McGrew, American Metal Typefaces of the Twentieth Century.
“Howland was introduced by Dickinson in 1892 as a companion to DeVinne. The same design was called DeVinne Condensed (No. 3) by Keystone Type Foundry, but differs from the DeVinne Condensed issued by other foundries.” One of the cap Ps is a different font.
“Umbra was designed by Robert H. Middleton for Ludlow in 1932… essentially a shadow versoin of Tempo Light.”
The second looks like Montype 406j, Eric Gill Shadow, but I recall another very similar face, maybe it was Airport Shadow.
The pinmark “A” means that it was cast at the Boston Type Foundry plant after it had been incorporated into the American Type Founders Co. Boston is also where Dickinson was located.
There is more than one “Umbra” typeface out there. This is the more modern one, there is also an antique face named Umbra.