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Author: Stephen Coles

This Just In: Posters of May ’68

We commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Paris uprising with a collection of posters by the Atelier Populaire (Popular Workshop).

Lutte Contre Le Cancer Gaulliste (Struggle Against the Gaullist Cancer)
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This Just In: The Nuremberg Chronicle

Now at Letterform Archive, a landmark of 15th-century bookmaking.

We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of our first complete incunable (book printed before 1501). The Nuremberg Chronicle is one of the most densely illustrated and technically advanced incunables, and helps us tell the story of letterforms in the early years of printing.

Index half-title page, Nuremberg Chronicle. The calligraphic woodcut opening this German edition reads “REgister Des buchs der Croniken…” (Index of the book of Chronicles and stories with figures and images from the dawn of the world until this our time.). Note the ligatures with shared stems (‘de’) and marks that distinguish ‘u’ from ‘n’ (“pildnus-sen”) and indicate a double ‘n’ (“unnsere”).
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Thank you, Camille

For most of Letterform Archive’s existence, one woman has been behind our camera, capturing and sharing the collection for publications, research requests, and social media.

Camille Brown with one of her favorite parts of the collection, 1975 issues of Typographische Monatsblätter, with covers by Heinrich Fleischhacker.

Camille Brown joined the Archive in May 2016 as an intern, and soon took a place on staff as Photographer. Her deft shooting and post-processing skills made large and demanding projects – like the Dwiggins book – possible. And her keen and curious eye set the standard for our social feeds, attracting tens of thousands followers on Facebook, Twitter, and especially Instagram. Now we bid Camille a tearful farewell as she leaves us for her next life chapter in New York.

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This Just In: Saul Bass

Bass’s timeless minimalism made him the godfather of the modern movie poster. Several original prints recently arrived at the Archive.

Saul Bass, The Man with the Golden Arm, 1955.
Saul Bass, The Man with the Golden Arm, 1955. (Detail, see full poster in gallery below.)
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From the Collection: The Alphabet Lithographs of Jean Midolle

An enigmatic portfolio of fantastical lettering styles continues to fascinate designers and historians. Our guest author Dan Reynolds highlights a few favorite plates.

From left to right, letters from the Spécimen des écritures modernes… portfolio: Gothique Composée; Midolline; Alphabet Lapidaire Monstre; Alphabet Diabolique, Emile Simon fils press, France, 1835. (All cropped, see full images below.)
From left to right, letters from the Spécimen des écritures modernes… portfolio: Gothique Composée; Midolline; Alphabet Lapidaire Monstre; Alphabet Diabolique, Emile Simon fils press, France, 1835. (All cropped, see full images below.)
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This Just In: Jason Munn

Jason Munn’s minimalist gig posters capture a conceptual duality, inviting music fans to take a closer look.

Jason Munn, Beirut, 2015.
Jason Munn, Beirut, 2015. (Cropped, see full poster in gallery below.)
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