Every Good Pirate’s Favorite Letter

12 line Ionic

Call it Egyptian, Clarendon, Ionic, or Slab Serif, but no less an authority than Nicolete Gray called this style of letter “. . . the most brilliant typographic invention of the (nineteenth) century.”¹

Clarendon was the first typeface that I learned to recognize and the first that I proclaimed as my favorite. And though my tastes have evolved and my favorite typeface changes on a bi-weekly basis, the perfectly balanced combination of the vernacular with touches of sophistication – like the voluptuously curved leg on this Ionic capital R – will continue to endear this design to me.

¹Nicolete Gray Nineteenth Century Ornamented Typefaces

V.W. & Co. 18 Dutch St. NY imprint

This is the imprint of Vanderburgh, Wells & Company used between 1864–1867.