Baskerville in France
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Baskerville in France A conference organised by John Baskerville (1707–75) was the École supérieure d’art an English typographer, printer, et de design (Amiens) industrialist and Enlightenment and the Centre for Printing figure with a worldwide reputa- History and Culture tion. He not only designed one (Birmingham) with the support of the world’s most popular and of the Ministère de la Culture, important typefaces, he also the Baskerville Society and the experimented with casting type, Bibliographical Society improved the construction of the printing press, trialled a new kind of paper and refined the quality of printing inks. His typographic experiments put him ahead of his Venue time, had an international impact Ministère de la culture and did much to enhance the et de la communication printing and publishing industries DRAC Hauts-de-France of his day. Site d’Amiens 5 rue Henri Daussy Baskerville, however, was a 80000 Amiens prophet without honour in his own land and ‘only in France did Registration he meet with the encouragement [email protected] he undoubtedly deserved.’ This conference considers the impact of Baskerville in France from the eighteenth century to the present day. Papers will present the tech- nical, aesthetic, literary, political or philosophical influences of Baskerville on France and France on Baskerville. A companion exhibition displays rare artifacts, Typefaces: Cardone Grotesk, Fátima Lázaro (EsadType 2016-18) and Baskerwille (designed after the types of Claude Jacob by books and documents related to Alexis Faudot, Rémi Forte, Morgane Pierson, Rafael Ribas, Tanguy Vanlaeys & Rosalie Wagner / ANRT 2017). his career and his posterity. THURSDAY 18 OCTOBER 11h Patrick Goossens Questions surrounding 9h15 Baskerville’s printing Coffee & registration innovations and their introduction into France 9h45 Welcome address This talk will give an overview of Baskerville’s innovations in 10h printing technology. While the Caroline Archer, Malcolm Dick English printing industry did not (Chair: Alexandre Parré) embrace his innovations, after his John Baskerville: art and death, some of Baskerville’s typo- industry of the Enlightenment graphical material was moved to France. John Dreyfus has already This discussion introduces the studied aspects of this, but several eighteenth-century typographer, questions remain unanswered. printer, industrial and Enlight- Firstly, what were the motiva- enment figure John Baskerville tions for this move? Secondly, to (1707-75). Baskerville not only what extent were French printers designed one of the world’s most ready to receive Baskerville’s new historically important typeface, insights: his correspondence with he also experimented with casting the French printer Philippe-Denis type, improved the construction of Pierre showed some interest from the printing press, helped develop France, but how widespread was a new kind of paper and refined this? Thirdly, were French printers the quality of printing inks. His able to use the new techniques to typographic experiments put their full potential? Etienne Anis- him ahead of his time and did son-Duperron showed interest in much to enhance the printing the process, but once the equip- industry of his day. Yet, despite ment was employed at the Kehl his importance, many aspects of printing house he found it was not Baskerville’s life remain unex- used to its full potential. Finally, plored. Along side his typographic Baskerville was not the only inno- advances, this discussion will also vator of printing technology, but look at his contribution to the arts, he certainly stands out. How was industry, culture and society of the this achieved? Enlightenment both in Britain and France. LUNCH 15h Aurélie Martin Bound with France: 14h French bindings on Baskerville Barry McKay editions and their owners Baskerville’s Papers plain and coloured This talk will investigate the connection between Baskerville Baskerville’s constant search for and France through a study improvements in all aspects of of the bindings of his editions. book production is well known. Baskerville was, reputedly, Less consideration, however, has appreciated in France where been given to his use of wove pa- his books were purchased and per. The first part of this talk will collected. However, little attention review the evidence for the devel- has been given to the bindings opment of this type of paper and of the volumes bought by French how it met Baskerville’s needs. It collectors. A study of these bind- will then describe how Basker- ings, based on an analysis of the ville’s early experiments with wove materials and techniques used, paper influenced papermakers the decorative styles, and their both in Western Europe in gen- provenance, can help reconstruct eral and France in particular. The the history of their manufacture second part will present work on and help us understand when and Baskerville’s marbled papers that by whom his books were collected I have undertaken with Prof Diana in France. Did French collectors Patterson, with particular refer- buy Baskerville’s editions during ence to some newly discovered his lifetime and did they con- examples of the printer’s marbled tinue after his death? Were the papers and the possible influence volumes bound in France or were of French and other European they received in English bindings decorated papers on Baskerville’s and kept as such? Finally, what marbling. can the binding tell us about the economic status and the taste of these French collectors, depending on the level of refinement of their books? 16h15 17h30 Albert Corbeto Exhibition opening Baskerville’s types in XVIIIth Esad Amiens gallery, century Spanish printing 40 rue des Teinturiers The second half of the eighteenth This exhibition is open until century is regarded as the golden Thursday 8 November (Monday to age of Spanish printing, when, for Friday, 9.00-12.30 – 14.00-18.00) the first time, the productions of leading indigenous typographers such as Ibarra, Sancha or Monfort reached levels comparable to those FRIDAY 19 OCTOBER of the most prestigious printers of Europe. These printers benefited from the skills of various crafts- 10h men in the art of punch cutting Marc H. Smith who freed Spanish printing from English, French and European its dependence on the major Handwriting in the Age European type-exporting centres. of Baskerville However, despite the magnifi- cent designs by Pradell, Gil and The eighteenth century witnessed Espinosa, the prestige of Basker- new forms of handwriting which ville’s work led to the attempted profoundly affected the evolution acquisition, in 1766, of some of of type. English writing masters in his punches and matrices for the particular, long under the influ- planned printing press of the Real ence of French and Dutch models, Biblioteca. Although this transac- blended these into an original cur- tion did not take place, some years sive style, ‘English round hand’, later, the Spanish government in which a pointed nib, subjected obtained several of Baskerville’s to delicate pressure, produced types which were used towards the typically contrasted thick and thin end of the century in a number strokes. English copybooks show of books printed by the Imprenta some roman alphabets that clearly Real. inspired the types of Baskerville, himself a writing master. When Beaumarchais in France first used Baskerville’s types, English round hand also began to spread across Europe as the Anglaise, Inglese, or Englische Schrift. Despite opposi- LUNCH tion from French writing masters, in defence of national character in handwriting, English round hand 14h became the new European stan- Quentin Schmerber dard of the nineteenth century, Temeraire: When a French parallel to the spread of ‘modern’ millenial rediscover Baskerville type and its similarly contrasted legacy, an exploration into letterforms. English Vernacular 11h In 1757, Baskerville’s ‘Virgil’ was James Mosley set in new types that were cut by Baskerville after Baskerville John Handy between 1750-57. Unlike those of his predecessor, Baskerville acquired a wide rep- William Caslon, these types were utation with his edition of Virgil, not inspired by Dutch punch which included among its sub- cutters but by Baskerville’s own scribers not only a typefounder in practice of calligraphy, and by the Netherlands but also a former copper-plate works from English printer and rising politician in writing masters such as Georges Massachusetts, Benjamin Frankin. Bickham and Joseph Champion. His types were mentioned with Baskerville’s design was copied by approval by Fournier le jeune and his peers and influenced lettering Giambattista Bodoni. They were artists and stone carvers around imitated in Britain, but bought af- Britain, leading to the develop- ter his death and used and copied ment of what is known today as in France. After long neglect, the the English Letter. Historians, original matrices were rediscov- such as Alan Bartram and James ered, and the types not only came Mosley, have documented this back into use, but became the genre, also named English Vernac- models for new ‘Baskerville’ types ular. The Temeraire family is an in the twentieth century. More attempt by a young French de- recently attempts have been made signer to submit a contemporary to make faithful recreations of the interpretation of the English Letter originals as digital fonts, and also through an investigation of its to design creative variations of history. This talk will demonstrate them. This talk will offer a survey Baskerville’s influence on the of the ‘brand’ that has continued English Vernacular and introduce to bear the name of Baskerville. the Temeraire family, its design process and some of the shapes 16h15 directly inherited from Baskerville. Thomas Huot-Marchand, Charles Mazé, Rosalie Wagner 15h (ANRT 2017) Jérôme Knebusch Baskervville Between Baskerville & Didot: Messine In 1784 Claude Jacob, with his partner Henri Rolland, engraved In 2011 students from ESAL Metz, a copy of Baskerville for his in combination with Argentin- new foundry, the Société Typo- ian type designer Alejandro Lo graphique de Strasbourg.