“Horizontal splinters, slanting rains, elongated immateriality.”

Appreciating the weird poetry of type specimen books for today’s #typographytogether April challenge.

What’s your favorite line?

Type specimens from Lawrence Johnson’s Second Supplement to the Specimen Book of Plain and Fancy Types, Ornaments, and Combination Borders. [Philadelphia, ca. 1850?]

Hey! It’s National Punctuation Day? Yes! To observe: mind [your] crotchets, double-check your divisions, and watch your points of suspension…

C.S. Van Winkle. The printers’ guide. (New York: C.S. Van Winkle, 1818.)
A specimen of printing types cast at D. & G. Bruce’s Foundry (New York, 1818)

If you are in need of an electrotyped type ornament, Bruce’s New York Type Foundry probably has what you’re looking for.  Beehive? Got it.  Tiny chair? Absolutely. Oyster? No problem.  Avocado? Sure, why not, just use the oyster.

An Abridged Specimen of Printing Types, made at Bruce’s New-York Type-Foundry. New-York: George Bruce’s Son & Co., 1869. 

We love these blue and green monogram designs we found in a collection of type specimen. #TypeTuesdsay

[Collection of designs for letters and monograms, by J.M. Bergling.] [191-?] 6 items ; 19 x 24 cm or smaller

This catalog of type specimen from 1834 includes several pages of animal ornaments cast by the Johnson & Smith printing firm in Philadelphia. 

Specimen of printing types and ornaments, / cast by Johnson & Smith, (successors to Richard Ronaldson,) No. 6 George Street.
Philadelphia. : [s.n.], 1834. [331] leaves (6 folded) :  ill. ;  24 cm.