BB&S Identification
I have a Barnhart Brothers & Spindler type font that I haven’t been able to find in BB&S specimen books. It is pin marked BB&S 48 CHICAGO. It shares some style features with several non-BB&S fonts, but does not match any 100%. Some features are similar to Binner and ATF’s Globe Gothic series. The R looks like a match for ATF’s McCullough series. The O, o and Q show influence from Inland Type Foundry’s Inland series (pat. Oct. 29, 1885).
BBS9600xxx.gif
Try reuploading the photo with the ampersand removed. The forum here doesn’t like it when file names have funny characters :)
The face is shown in the 1893 BB&S Pony Specimen book on page 215. Its name is “Drew”. There is also a condensed version which is named “Opaque”.
John Henry
Cedar Creek Press
A more accurate date for Drew may be 1896. My 1893-94 BB&S book does not show Drew or Opaque. The later BB&S Pony Specimen book, undated but listed in the literature as 1896 or 1897, shows Drew on pp. 214-215. The condensed version called Opaque is on pages 212-213. Both are listed as “Patent Pending.” Opaque has design patent no. 25552, dated May 26, 1896, with the designer Charles E. Heyer. Often only one version of a type design was patented, leaving variations unpatented. So, I would date Drew at 1896—unless, John, your book actually has an 1894 date imprinted in it.
Motorrad: The Inland typeface was patented Oct. 29 1895 (not 1885). Inland Type Foundry began business in 1894.
Just wanted to clean up those details.
You’re correct, Bob. I looked online in the Pony Specimen for 1893-4 and don’t see it. The book I found the face in is not dated, except for a notation in pencil of 1893 on the title page. It must be the later edition of 1896 that you refer to. I do notice, however, online that the “Blue Book” of 1896 on the circuitous Route site doesn’t have that face or “Opaque”.
John Henry
Bob & John, many thanks
Mike