Seeking specimens/examples for "Künstlerschrift Wodan", Stempel & Co. 1902/1906

Oliver Weiss (Walden Font Co.)

All, 
I'm working on a revival of this typeface, and am looking for additional material. I have the following, but find that the draft is very different from the actual specimen. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Oliver Weiss (Walden Font Co.)

Well, there was no additional material to be had, I guess, so I forged ahead by my own lights. WF Dahlia will be part of an Art Nouveau themed design kit, available early next year (I hope).

Fernando Mello

Hi Oliver, very interesting to know that Stempel produced this Wodan design in 1902, same year supposedly that Julius Klinkhardt in Leipzig released Tip Top, a very similar design, which apparently took the fame and was transposed to Berthold and Letraset. Fonts in Use mentions that Stempel also produced a 'Wodan Licht' version in 1905-06, which is described as an 'open' design instead of a lighter version. I am wondering if you ever came across this 'licht' version? I couldn't find anything online up to now, and am very curious about it. 

Florian Hardwig

Hi Fernando, here’s a small sample included in Klimschs Jahrbuch 1907. Not much, but hopefully enough to give you an idea.

In German, licht is open/outlined, while leicht is light. (The far more common term for the latter is mager (lit. meager), though.)

Chris Lozos

@Oliver Weiss (Walden Font Co.) The sample of your redraw looks a bit soft and fuzzy.  Is this a low rez image or was that intended to mirror the edge of wood printing?

Oliver Weiss (Walden Font Co.)

@Fernando Mello Sorry, I just saw your comment - no, I wasn't aware that there was an outline version. Luckily, with today's tools there's no need for me to produce one!

@Chris Lozos No, that's just an artifact from the jpg compression of the sample I posted. The font itself is smooth as butter

Fernando Mello

Thanks a lot @Florian Hardwig, I made confusion with the 'licht' term indeed, good to know it means 'open' and not 'light'! Also thanks for the image, I think the link in Fonts in Use was supposed to go to that image, but it seems to be currently broken somehow. 

I also found this design apparently called 'Einfassung' in Schelter & Giesecke's 1909 catalogue which seems to relate a bit somehow to both TipTop and Wodan. It would be nice to discover more about the development of these types. 

Fernando Mello

Forgot to mention, but these 2 pictures above come from Taschen's 'A Visual Story of Typefaces and Graphic Styles' Vol. 2

Oliver Weiss (Walden Font Co.)

@Fernando Mello Oh! Oh! That book doesn't happen to show the Mimosenzierat I've referenced in my Wallenstein thread, does it?  

Fernando Mello

@Oliver Weiss (Walden Font Co.) it actually does show Mimosenzierat in a 1909 specimen, see the image below


 

Oliver Weiss (Walden Font Co.)

@Fernando Mello YOU JUST MADE MY DAY!!!!!!! Can you please give me the details for this book? I sure hope it's still in print. 

Edit: Is it this one? 

Fernando Mello

Great to hear @Oliver Weiss (Walden Font Co.)!

Yes, it's still largely available at fair prices in Amazon, Abebooks etc. The references to Schelter & Giesecke are in the Vol 2, the one with the black cover.

https://www.amazon.com/Visual-History-Typefaces-Graphic-1901-1938/dp/3836515148

Oliver Weiss (Walden Font Co.)

Thank you, Fernando, it should be here in a week or so

Stephen Coles

FYI, all the specimens from Tholenaar’s book are physically at Letterform Archive, as the collection came to us in 2015. When you get the book you also have access to a database of scans on Taschen, which are ok, though they aren't as good as our captures.

BTW, Oliver, opt for GIF or PNG for type samples as they will always show flat graphics and type with less noise.

Oliver Weiss (Walden Font Co.)

Thanks, Stephen, I appreciate the information, and your advice about image compression!
Would you know if the scans would contain the entire brochure, or only the pictures that made it into the book? Also, I've called the Letterform Archive a couple of times over the last few weeks - how long do you think you'll be closed while you're moving?

Florian Hardwig

@Fernando Mello

I think the link in Fonts in Use was supposed to go to that image, but it seems to be currently broken somehow.

The link on the page for Wodan indeed goes to a digitization of Klimschs Jahrbuch 1907. It’s hosted by HathiTrust and can only be accessed from the United States, due to copyright restrictions. Using a VPN might help.

I also found this design apparently called 'Einfassung' in Schelter & Giesecke's 1909 catalogue which seems to relate a bit somehow to both TipTop and Wodan. It would be nice to discover more about the development of these types.

Einfassung Serie 624 refers to the border elements – Einfassung can be translated as border or enclosement. The name of the typeface (Schrift ) is stated at the bottom. It’s Othello. To make things more complicated, this typeface was first issued in c.1903 under a different name, as Schmale fette Edelgotisch, which reveals that it’s essentially a bold condensed extension of Edelgotisch (1901). Apparently Schelter & Giesecke later felt that it should have a name of its own. Here’s an ad for Othello from 1904, when it was still called Schmale fette Edelgotisch.

Oliver Weiss (Walden Font Co.)

Edelgotisch was on my list as well, as one of the quintessential German Jugendstil typefaces, but it's already been done multiple times. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Fernando Mello

Super nice @Florian Hardwig 👌🏻. I suspected the type could be called Othello, as it is written there at the bottom of the first page I sent from Schelter & Giesecke. (Definitely I need to learn some basic German!)

Fernando Mello

Just as a further curiosity on the theme, I also found these (sort of) related types, ‘Liane’ and ‘Radium’, in a later Schelter & Giesecke catalogue I found years ago (undated). I find it particularly interesting how the previously more ‘organic’ or ‘art-nouveau’ aspect turns into something more mechanical, constructed perhaps in these ones. The version of Liane with this kind of blackletter inspired initials looks quite nice.

Oliver Weiss (Walden Font Co.)

@Fernando Mello Funny you should mention those two 

Fernando Mello

Nice work @Oliver Weiss (Walden Font Co.) 👏 I just checked your extense work on your website, apologies that I didn’t do it earlier. Great stuff in there 👍🏼

Oliver Weiss (Walden Font Co.)

Thank you I haven't put my work in progress up on my website yet, but you can see it here: https://oliverw.smugmug.com/Typography/Work-In-Progress/n-h4nxQp/

Fernando Mello

Good stuff, it’s quite uncommon to see these more organic and interesting German display stuff being revisited these days. My interest on this subject actually emerges from many years ago when I was a teenager here in São Paulo, and the lettering on the front sign of this coffee shop Café Floresta here (which dates from the early 70s but it’s still there) grabbed my attention even before I delved into typedesign. Many years after (with the help of @Stephen Coles) I realised the lettering was a deviation of TipTop, which made me look a bit deeper into it. TipTop was offered as a phototype and also in the form of drytransfer by Letraset in Brazil, and it was quite used here for display purposes in the 70s/80s.

Stephen Coles

Oliver Weiss (Walden Font Co.) said:

Would you know if the scans would contain the entire brochure, or only the pictures that made it into the book?

I think it varies. There are images not shown in the book, but not everything represents complete brochures.

Also, I've called the Letterform Archive a couple of times over the last few weeks - how long do you think you'll be closed while you're moving?

I’m sorry about that. We’re still in the midst of moving and the collection will be inaccessible for another 3 weeks at least.

Oliver Weiss (Walden Font Co.)

Thank you, Stephen, that's great news! I was expecting something on the order of months. I hope to be able to visit - I still think back fondly to the wonderful afternoon I spent at the Letterform Archive last June. Please give my regards to Paola, Elise, and Rob!