Category: Press and typeface identification
Later topic: Please help identify this tabletop platen press!
Earlier topic: Need help identifying this tool

Can anyone scan an image of Sketch?

  • sert
  • on 26 Oct 08 (09:26)

Hi all,
I viewed Sketch briefly in a specimen book but couldn’t photograph it, and the image has gone fuzzy in my mind.
If anyone could post a photo or link me to a good image online, I’d be most grateful. Many thanks!

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What is “Sketch”? Is this a typeface?

I have a copy of the ATA Type Comparison Book which shows Sketch (a script face) on page 76, if you have access to a copy. If not let me know and I can scan it and email it to you, but I’ll need your email address. I’ll attach a scanned image here also.

image: Sketch.jpg

Sketch.jpg

  • sert
  • on 26 Oct 08 (19:21)

Thank you Ad Lib!!

Whoever scans a sample of Ad Lib needs to keep in mind that this face has a myriade of alternate characters, especially in the lowercase. You will find two versions of a lot of lowercase characters. I am not near my shop or reference books at the moment, but Ad Lib is a fairly unique face for this reason. I also remember that it is possible to substitute a lot of characters by simply setting them upside-down: b/p, d/q, n/u and maybe h/y and m/w(?), making it fairly uncommon in this aspect as well.

Opps! I thought the response was that the face sert was looking for was Ad Lib. Sorry about that.

Rick, do you have the ATA Type Comparison Book?

Hmmm. The typeface illustrated above is not the one in McGrew, which is called Sketch Title or Sketch Circular. Nor is it listed in the import section. Does this go by another name, or is it pre 20th Century? There’s a bunch of type on eBay by that name but it isn’t shown in detail. The sizes listed do not match the McGrew descriptions either.

Yes Bob, I do have the ATA Type Comparison Book. A truly handy tool for quickly homing-in on most 20th-century faces. The Sketch shown in the ATA book is most likely European in origin. The ATA book only confirms that it is a foundry face. The next place to check is the Encyclopedia of Typefaces and see if it is in there and what foundry originated it.

The Sketch that Arie is talking about is an antique face. I am nowhere near my reference books at the moment, but I believe it was an early BB&S face and may also be called Racine. I can’t recall offhand which was the earlier name for the face.

Somewhat along the lines of the ATA book is another title named How to Recognize Typefaces”. Not as comprehensive as the ATA book, but another nice reference book to have.

OK, I just got home and could check my reference books. The “Sketch” that Arie mentions originated in 1890 as Racine from BB&S and the name was later changed to Sketch.

The Sketch specimen shown above is Sketch (or Skizze in German) designed by W. Hohnich for the German foundry Ludwig & Mayer, who issued it in 1935.