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Caslon typeface1/27/2024 ![]() This first version of the Declaration - now known as the Dunlap Broadside - was composed of roman type from the Caslon foundry, forever linking the typeface to the words and values enshrined in America’s original founding document.Īlthough by 1776 there were numerous typeface options (most of them, like Baskerville, directly influenced by Caslon), Caslon was selected because of America’s familiarity with it. Upon the July 4th, 1776 ratification of the Declaration by the Second Continental Congress, the Committee of Five assigned the first printing of the document to John Dunlap - one of the most successful printers of his time, whose shop was located near Independence Hall in Philadelphia.ĭunlap worked into the night to produce approximately two hundred copies of the document for distribution the following day. ![]() The appointed drafting committee of the American Declaration of Independence - known as the Committee of Five - consisted of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, and Benjamin Franklin (himself an authority on type and printing). Caslon’s typefaces transformed English type design and established an enduring national typographic style in both England and the American colonies, where it became the preferred type for all printed documents and books until the end of the 18th century. It was through his contact with patrons that Caslon’s talent for type was identified and subsequently flourished.Ĭaslon released his first Specimen of Type in the 1730s, and the preference for Caslon from both printers and readers was instantaneous and long-lasting. In 1716, Caslon opened his own engraving shop in London, and began to make tools for bookbinders and silver chasers. William Caslon (1692/3 – 1766), also known as William Caslon the Elder, was an English type founder who is known today for the typeface that bears his name.Īs a young man in 1706, Caslon began his training as an apprentice engraver of gunlocks and barrels. True to our roots and brand ethos, we approached the design question as we would any other – by looking to the 18th century – and found our answer in the typeface Caslon, a perennial favorite of typesetters and printers for almost three centuries. The name of our institution is an integral part of the new DRR logo, and in considering the typographic possibilities for our visual identity, the Office of Fine Arts sought to create a harmonious and meaningful connection to our central logomark.
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