Alkmaar S

Peter Enneson

I showed this S in an presentation I did about a decade ago on Henk Krijger’s Raffia Initials.

It came from a Dutch calligraphy booklet printed in 1951 in Alkmaar, the Netherlands.

Does anyone know anything about it?

LeMo aka PatternMan aka Frank E Blokland

Hi Peter,

I could trace the booklet in question and it was the third publication in the Alkenreeks (alk = auk, reeks = series). The series comprised also booklets on subjects like aviation, aerospace, steam trains, yachts, et cetera.



As you can see the series was small-sized, although I have relatively large fingers.



I think that considering the details Emil Rudolf Weiss is a serious candidate. The book about him by Eberhard Hölscher is mentioned in the literature list on page 64, although there is no reference to a page in Calligrafie (several books by Dr. Hölscher are listed btw). The following image shows some stuff by Weiss.

Peter Enneson

Thanks Frank!

Probably Otto Hupp should be considered as well.

Was Otto Hupp mentioned in the bibliography?

I've been wanting to see the Alkmaar S in context — of an entire alphabet or a title page like the Weiss page you showed.

Peter Enneson

Maybe a stupid question, but is the Alkmaar S typographic or calligraphic?

PabloImpallari

Calligraphic "Cadels"
https://www.google.com.ar/search?q=cadels&biw=1264&bih=1151&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=NNpsVPjDKtO1sATbiYHoBw&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#imgdii=_
They look exceedingly complex to the eye at first sight, but are quite easy to construct once you understand the technique and the logic involved... ok, maybe not easy, but do-able. You start with simple strokes, and later you add complexity and joins, step by step.

PabloImpallari

The attached images will give you an idea of construction the process

Peter Enneson

On the subject of cadels, as I wrote in a presentation I made for ATypI (Vancouver) “writing masters and printing firms produced entire alphabets of those ‘cadels’ or ‘lettres cadeaux.’ Raffia has affiliations with these letterforms, but deviates from the ‘old-style’ (and ‘transitional’) pattern of construction and elaboration.” See:
HKs_RIs_big_versals
In regard to the construction of the Raffia, see:
HKs_RIs_construction_raffia

LeMo aka PatternMan aka Frank E Blokland

Hi Peter,

‘Was Otto Hupp mentioned in the bibliography?’

Not directly by name.