The Bentons: How an American Father and Son Changed the Printing Industry

Appendix B

289 appendix b Morris Benton’s Typefaces There is no official ATF list of Morris Benton’s typefaces. This list was generated from the following sources, the first four of which are discussed in Chapter 14: 1 The anonymously annotated 1923 ATF specimen book at Columbia University , with dates (ATF). 2 The 1936 “partial list of my designs,” by Morris Benton (MFB). The typefaces that were starred on Benton’s list are also starred here, after the checkmark under his initials. 3 The 1965 list compiled by Stevens L. Watts, with dates and ATF serial number (SLW). Maureen Delaney Hitchcock explained in Benton Types that Watts was manager of type sales at ATF from 1947 to 1955. She wrote in her introduction that “his attributions … seem to have been derived from matrix department files, his dates evidently referring to the production of Benton’s types rather than to their design.” 4 The 1993 book American Metal Typefaces of the Twentieth Century, by Mac McGrew (McG). In the few cases where Steve Watts did not give an ATF series number, McGrew’s ATF series number is noted. I have included McGrew’s design (not production) dates. Some typefaces had no dates in McGrew’s book, although they had been dated in McGrew’s 1978 article “The Bentons, Father & Son.” Where the 1978 and 1993 McGrew dates conflicted, the 1993 information is presented. Benton typefaces that are illustrated in McGrew’s American Metal Typefaces are indicated. 5 “A Cursory Census of ATF Matrices, Sold at the Auction of August 24, 1993,” compiled by Gregory J. Walters, who attended the auction. His census was updated for this book in January 2009. 290 the bentons Name of Type atf mfb slw mcg atf # Dates Acquitaine see Phenix SLW: 1935 1 Adscript √ √ √ 2 ATF: SLW: McG: April 1914 1916, non-kerning 1914† 2 Agency Gothic √ √ √ 578 SLW: McG: 1933 1932† 3 Agency Gothic Open √ √ √ 580 SLW: McG: 1934 designed 1932, issued 1934† 4 Alternate Gothic No. 1 √ √ √ √ 6 ATF: SLW: McG: May 1903 1906 1903‡ 5 Alternate Gothic No. 2 √ √ √ √ 7 ATF: SLW: McG: May 1903 1906 1903‡ 6 Alternate Gothic No. 3 √ √ √ √ 8 ATF: SLW: McG: February 1903 1906 1903† Alternate Gothic Title No. 1 SLW: 1906 7 American Backslant √ √ √ 586 SLW: McG: 1934 designed 1933, issued 1935† 8 American Caslon √ √ 458 ATF: McG: 1922 1919‡ 9 American Caslon Italic √ √ 471 ATF: McG: 1922 1919† 10 American Text √ √ √ 567 SLW: McG: 1932 1932† 11 Announcement Roman √ √ 456 ATF: McG: September 1916 designed 1916, issued 1918† † Illustrated in American Metal Typefaces of the Twentieth Century as an ATF font. ‡ Illustrated as a Monotype font. 291 appendix b Comments Matrices sold at ATF auction SLW: “name changed to Phenix” McG: “Sizes under 36-point were added in 1935.” 24 pt. to Rich Hopkins abandoned ATF: “Inland New Caslon except figures and descenders by MFB” McG: same as the Inland Type Foundry’s 1905 New Caslon but with “long descenders, oldstyle figures, and italic swash characters” 18 pt. to Howard Bratter; 36 pt. to Greg Walters; (long descenders & OS numbers only) 30, 42, 48 pt. to Greg Walters ATF: “Inland New Caslon Italic except figures and descenders by MFB” McG: “in 18 point and larger … Italic [is a copy] of Caslon Bold” 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 18 pt. to Howard Bratter; 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 60, 72 pt. to Greg Walters SLW: “devoid of curved strokes” ATF: “Adapted from engravings by MFB” 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 18, 24, 30, 36, 48 pt. to Greg Walters; 14/18, 18 pt. to Howard Bratter 292 the bentons 12 Announcement Italic √ √ 452 ATF: McG: April 1916 designed 1916, issued 1918† 13 Antique Shaded √ √ √ √ 12 ATF: SLW: McG: September 1910 1911 designed 1910, issued 1913‡ 14 Bank Gothic Light √ √ √ 532 SLW: McG: 1932 1930† 15 Bank Gothic Medium √ √ √ 533 SLW: McG: 1932 1930† 16 Bank Gothic Bold √ √ √ 534 SLW: McG: 1932 1930† 17 Bank Gothic Condensed Light √ √ √ 574 SLW: McG: 1933 1930–33† 18 Bank Gothic Condensed Medium √ √ √ 575 SLW: McG: 1933 1930–33† 19 Bank Gothic Condensed Bold √ √ √ 576 SLW: McG: 1933 1930–33† 20 Baskerville Roman √ 15 SLW: 1915 21 Baskerville Italic √ √ √ 16 ATF: SLW: McG: 1915 1915 1915† 22 Benton (Whitehall) √* √ √ 566 SLW: McG: 1934 designed 1930, released 1934† 23 Bodoni √ √* √ √ 22 ATF: SLW: McG: February 1909 1909 1910‡ 24 Bodoni Italic √ √* √ √ 23 ATF: SLW: McG: March 1910 1909 1910–11† 25 Bodoni Bold √ √* √ √ 24...