Calligraphy: Donald Jackson’s The Story of Writing

The Story of Writing

Donald Jackson

Taplinger Publishing Company, 1981

Dust Jacket Front

Dust Jacket Back

Front Endpaper

Title Page

Contents

Alice Koeth created the August 1981 flyer for the Donald Jackson event at the Donnell Library in New York City. After Jackson made his presentation, he signed copies of his book, The Story of Writing, on the front endpaper. Several people were waiting to have their book signed when the library closed at 8 o’clock. Outside the library, the remaining people assembled in the parking lot where Jackson commandeered the parking attendant’s booth and finished signing the books. I gave him my full name but he wrote my initials, A J.

Alphabet: The Story of Writing

Parts 1 and 2 by Donald Jackson

Alphabet: The Story of Writing

Parts 3 and 4 by Donald Jackson

The Saint John’s Bible

Illuminating the Word: The St. John’s Bible

St. John’s Bible: ‘Igniting the Spiritual Imagination’

Donald Jackson: The Calligrapher

Leading calligrapher Donald Jackson to discuss his creation of

The Saint John’s Bible, the first hand-written and illuminated 

Bible produced in over 500 years, April 20, 2013

Concordia Presents an Evening with Donald Jackson, Feb. 12, 2015

Pinterest

(Next post on Monday: The Freeman Logo)

Calligraphy: Edward Gentile

Edward Gentile
born July 20, 1890, Chicago, Illinois; also known as Edward Gentle

Art Institute of Chicago
Student from 1911–1912

North American Newspaper, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commercial artist, 1914

Studio of Design and Lettering, New York City
1914–1917

Freelance Artist

1919–1930

World War I Draft Card
Name: Edward Gentle
Address: Shiller Park, Cook County, lllinois
Occupation: Artist, Ethridge Company, 200 South State, Chicago
Height/Build: Short/Slender
Color of Eyes/Hair: Brown/Brown
Signature: June 5, 1917

Balloon Corps, American Expeditionary Forces
Panoramic draftsman, 1918–1919

Cook County, Illinois, Marriage Index
Name: Edward Gentle
Age: 29
Marriage Date: December 16, 1919
Marriage Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois
Spouse Name: Ruth R. Running
Spouse Age: 22

1923 Chicago, Illinois, City Directory
Name: Edward Gentle
Occupation: Artist
Street address: 140 S Dearborn
Telephone: Sta 6561

The Inland Printer
April 1925
“Decorative Design and Lettering”
Eight-page feature of Gentile’s work

The Inland Printer
October 1925
page 114: Our Cover Designer
We asked Edward Gentle, designer of the cover for this volume of The Inland Printer, where he found the material for his design and just what style or period it represented. Mr. Gentle told us that back in 1914 he was browsing around in an old book store in New York, in search of material, when the old bookseller said to him: “Mr. Gentle, I have an old book lying around here that maybe you can get something out of.” with that he brought forth an old book, printed in Paris in the early nineteenth century. The book appears to be of the nature of a private edition, the title page containing the following: 

Recueil

de Meubles

dans le Style du 16 Siecle

dedie a

son Altesse Royale

la Princesse Clementine

d’Orleans

—

a Paria

Cher. Deflorenne Editeur 

Quai de l’ Ecole, No.

In this book are illustrations of friezes, facades and various ornamentation of the French Renaissance period. It is from this rare old book that Mr. Gentle obtained his ideas. Mr. Gentle is a well known decorative illustrator of Chicago. Examples of his work appeared in the April issue of The Inland Printer.

Eastern Edition of Advertising Arts and Crafts
Lee & Kirby, 127
page 244: Gentle, Edward, 10 East Huron, Del 3475 Chicago, Ill. Allegorical, Animals, Arch. Rendering, Borders, Decoration, Decorative Wash, Design, Direct by Mail Art, Figure, Historical Subjects, Interiors, Landscapes, Layout...

The Italians in Chicago: A Study in Americanization
Giovanni Ermenegildo Schiavo
Italian American Publishing Company, 1928
page 97: Thirty-first Annual Exhibition by artists of Chicago and vicinity at the Art Institute of Chicago, February 5, to March 8, 1927:
…Edward Gentile, The Spirit of Culver.

American Art Directory
Volume 27
R.R. Bowker, 1930
page 529: Gentle, Edward, 3 East Ontario St.; Chicago, Ill.; h. Grand Ave. and Ruby St., Franklin Park, Ill.
Des., illumination—Born Chicago, July 20, 1890. Pupil of AIC.

American Art Annual
Volume 28
MacMillan Company, 1931
page 547: Gentle, Edward, 224 West Superior St., Chicago; 339 Harrison St., Oak Park, Ill. P., I., C, T.—Born Chicago, Ill., July 20, 1890. Self-taught. Works: Cover designs for “Compton’s Pictured Encyclopedia” and “Our Wonder World,” and coat of arms. Specialty, illuminated manuscripts.

American Art Annual
Volume 29
MacMillan Company, 1932
page 455: Gentle, Edward, 224 West Superior St., Chicago; 339 Harrison St., Oak Park, Ill. P., I., C, T.—Born Chicago, Ill., July 20, 1890. Self-taught. Works: Cover designs for “Compton’s Pictured Encyclopedia” and “Our Wonder World,” and coat of arms. Specialty, illuminated manuscripts.

p496: Gentle, Edward, 224 West Superior St., Chicago, Ill.
Illumination—See biog. notes in Directory of Graphic Artists.

Who’s Who in American Art
Volume 1
R. R. Bowker, 1935
page 203: Gentle, Edward, 109 North Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, Ill.
Des., Dr.—Born Chicago, Ill., July 20, 1890. Self-taught. Works: Cover designs for “Compton’s Pictured Encyclopedia” and “Our Wonder World,” and coat of arms. Specialty, illuminated manuscripts.

1940 United States Federal Census
Name: Edward Gentle
Age: 49
Birthplace: Illinois
Home in 1940: Oak Park, Cook, Illinois
Street: 109 North Oak Park Avenue
Residence in 1935: Same Place
Occupation: Art Supervisor
House Owned or Rented: Rented
Value of Home or Monthly Rental if Rented: 30
Attended School or College: No
Highest Grade Completed: High School, 1st year
Duration of Unemployment: 6
Class of Worker: Wage or salary worker in Government work
Weeks Worked in 1939: 52
Income: 1128
Income Other Sources: Yes
Household Members:
Name / Age
Edward Gentle, 49
Ruth R Gentle, 43
Amadeus Gentle, 19
Urania Gentle, 16

World War II Draft Registration Card
Name: Edward Gentle
Age: 52
Birth Date: 20 Jul 1890
Birth Place: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Residence: Oak Park, Illinois, USA
Address: 109 North Oak Park Avenue
Employer: Illinois Art and Craft Project, 679 North Wells, Chicago
Height/Weight: 5’ 3.5” / 120 lbs
Eyes/Hair: Brown/Black
Signature: April 27, 1942

The Christian Science Monitor
February 16, 1946
“All-But-Lost Art Revived”

Buffalo Courier-Express
(New York)
March 27, 1946
“Revives Medieval Art”

The Boston Herald
(Massachusetts)
September 8, 1946
“Revives Medieval Art”

The World-Herald
(Omaha, Nebraska)
September 26, 1946
“Ex-WPA Artist Spurns $35,000”

The Medieval Art of Illumination as Applied to Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
Fine Arts Print Guild, 1946
Promotional brochure

Who’s Who in America

Volume 34 (1966–1967)
Marquis Who's Who, 1967
page 763: Gentile, Edward, designer, illuminator; b. Chicago, Ill., July 20, 1890; a. Joseph and Mary (Tise) G.; student Art Inst., Chicago, 1911–12; m Ruth R. Running, Dec. 16, 1919; children—Amadeus Edward, Urania Ruth. Commercial artist North American Newspaper, Phila., Pa., 1914; with Studio of Design and Lettering, N.Y. City, 1914–17; free lance artist, 1919–30; manuscript illuminator from 1930. Served as panoramic draftsman Balloon Corps, A.E.F., 1918–19. Paintings extensively displayed in Chicago by U.S. Treasury Dept. in war bond sales. Designs reproduced by The Inland Printer, 1925. Exhibitor at Art Inst. Chicago, Marshall Field Galleries, All-Ill. Soc., one-man show Chicago Galleries, one man exhibit, Town Club. Address: 832 Wisconsin, Oak Park Ill.

Who Was Who in America, 1969–1973
Marquis Who's Who, 1973
page 265: same as above except address, “Oak Park IL” and addition of death date, “Died Aug. 4, 1968”

Kankakee County, Illinois Death Index
Name: Edward Gentle
Death Date: August 4, 1968

Social Security Death Index
Name: Edward Gentle
Last Residence: 60202 Evanston, Cook, Illinois, USA
Born: 20 Jul 1890
Died: Aug 1968


(Next post on Monday: X-Force Logo)

Kickstarter: “The Calligraphy of Alice”

The Calligraphy of Alice

Excerpt:

Over a career spanning more than 60 years, Alice’s artistry exemplifies taste, technique, wit,

and her own unique graphic style. A keen understanding of craft, respect for tools, and interest

in historical forms have contributed to her command of various calligraphic styles, written

with extraordinary skill. Whether using Coit and Automatic pens or the smallest of Speedball

nibs, this versatility enabled her to tackle all manner of calligraphic design problems.

Alice has opened her own personal archives so, in addition to her mature and later work,

the book contains charming early works from the 1950s, as well as several sketches and

preliminary layouts which offer a rare glimpse into Alice’s working process. The Morgan

Library has graciously photographed a dozen of her very special posters from their archives,

not seen for decades, especially for this publication.

Kickstarter for Alice ends July 30, 2016

Related Posts
Alice Koeth
Alice in U&lc

(Next post on Monday: Fourth of July (1904)))

Calligraphy: The Flight of the Dragon

Laurence Binyon

John Murray, 1972

dust jacket detail

(Next post on Monday: Cable)

Calligraphy: Alice in U&lc

Volume 11, Number 4, February 1985
Calligraphy by Alice Koeth

(Next post on Monday: Only in New York)

Calligraphy: Homage to the Bag

“Homage to the Bag” was an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts in New York City from October 10, 1975 through January 4, 1976. (Below: detail of catalog cover.) The exhibition traveled and a stop was scheduled in Arizona at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts.

The Center contacted the Graphic Design Workshop for a poster design. Tom Hall assigned the project to me. After a number of sketches and discussions, Hall suggested Spencerian script on a paper bag. Below is a detail of the comp lettering on a paper bag which was shown to the Center for approval.

With the Center’s approval of the poster concept, I proceeded to refine the lettering. Below is a photostat enlargement of a tight sketch, my first attempt at Spencerian script.

A sheet of vellum was placed over the photostat. A variety of French curves and ellipse templates were used to do the inking. Corrections were made with white gouache. The artwork measures 9.875 by 9.375 inches / 25 by 23.8 centimeters. The image below was scanned twice and stitched together; the alignment is slightly off on the right side of “The”.

The metal plate used to foil stamp the paper bag.

ITC Souvenir was used for the two lines of copy. Below is a detail of the bag with the debossed image in gold foil. The bag measures 12 by 16.75 inches / 30.5 by 42.5 centimeters.

Hall entered several workshop posters in AIGA’s 1978 poster show. His postcard, below, said “Homage to the Bag” poster was the only one accepted.

I designed an invitation with the font ITC Kabel. A comp was made for the printer to follow. Tracing paper was adhered to the bag. The letterpress-printed bag measured 4.625 by 8.5 inches / 11.75 by 21.6 centimeters. 

The Poster Show 1978 (cover detail), American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA). Jurors: Lidia Ferrara, B. Martin Pedersen, James Miho. Catalog design: B. Martin Pedersen; catalog is 10 inches / 25.4 centimeters square.

Related Posts
Homage to the Bag
7th Annual Hayden’s Ferry Poster


(Next post on Monday: Herb Lubalin, Part 8)

Calligraphy: Peace on Earth

American Artist

December 1978

Calligraphy by Jeanyee Wong

(Next post January 6: Artie Simek)

Calligraphy: Alice Koeth

Alice: Lettering, Life & Laughter Lessons

Society of Scribes 1 2

Three handbills by Alice

The Lotus Eaters

The Village Voice

August 26–September 1, 1981

Related Posts
Alice in U&lc
Kickstarter: The Calligraphy of Alice
Donald Jackson’s The Story of Writing

(Next Monday: Claire Szep, Hidden in Plain Sight)

Creator: Paul Standard

PAUL STANDARD

May 19, 1896 - January 1, 1992

1910 United States Federal Census

Name: Paul Standard

Age in 1910: 14

Birth Year: 1896

Birthplace: Russia

Home in 1910: Manhattan Ward 17, New York, New York [540 Fifth Street]

Race: White

Gender: Male

Immigration Year: 1903

Relation to Head of House: Son

Marital Status: Single

Father's Name: Jacob Standard

Father's Birthplace: Russia

Mother's Name: Esther Standard

Mother's Birthplace: Russia

Household Members:

Name / Age

Jacob Standard 52 [Macher/Cap Factory]

Esther Standard 47

Morris Standard 26

Max Standard 24

Tillie Standard 21

Rose Standard 19

Dora Standard 17

Paul Standard 14

Samuel Standar 12

Fanny Standard 28

1915 New York State Census

Name: Paul Standard

Birth Year: abt 1896

Birth Place: Russia

Age: 19

Gender: Male

Residence Place: Wawarsing, Ulster

Relationship: Son

Color or Race: White

Number of Years in US: 12

Assembly District: 02

House Number: 378

Line Number: 12

Page Number: 12

Household Members:

Name / Age

Jacob Standard 58 [Farmer]

Esther Standard 53

Morris Standard 32

Max Standard 30

Doritha Standard 22

Paul Standard 19 [Student]

Samuel Standard 17

World War I draft card, June 5, 1917

1920 United States Federal Census

Name: Paul Standard

Age: 23

Birth Year: abt 1897

Birthplace: Kief Russia

Home in 1920: Bronx Assembly District 4, Bronx, New York [636 East 170 Street]

Race: White

Gender: Male

Immigration Year: 1903 [Naturalized 1919?]

Relation to Head of House: Brother

Marital Status: Single

Father's Birthplace: Kief Russia

Mother's Birthplace: Kief Russia

Able to read: Yes

Able to Write: Yes

Household Members:

Name / Age

Charles Standard 46

Fanny Standard 40

Teresa Standard 05

Esther Standard 59

Jacob Standard 63

Paul Standard 23 [College/NYU; counted twice]

Sam Standard 21

1920 United States Federal Census

Name: Paul Standard

Age: 23

Birth Year: abt 1897

Birthplace: Russia

Home in 1920: Brooklyn Assembly District 23, Kings, New York [1501 Eastern Parkway]

Race: White

Gender: Male

Immigration Year: 1902

Relation to Head of House: Brother-in-law

Marital Status: Single

Father's Birthplace: Russia

Mother's Birthplace: Russia

Able to read: Yes

Able to Write: Yes

Household Members:

Name / Age

Nathan D Wolf 26

Dorothy Wolf 25

Howard I Wolf 01

Paul Standard 23 [sister Dorothy; counted twice]

New York, State Census, 1925
Name: Paul Standard
Birth Date: abt 1893
Birth Place: United States
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Residence Place: New York, New York [436 Madison Avenue]
Relationship: Head
Color or Race: White
Assembly District: 15
House Number: 436
Line Number: 26
Page Number: 24
Household Members:
Name / Age
Paul Standard 32 [Reporter]

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, February 12, 1928

1930 United States Federal Census

Name: Paul Standard

Gender: Male

Birth Year: abt 1898

Birthplace: New York

Race: White

Home in 1930: Manhattan, New York, New York [445 65th Street]

Marital Status: Married

Relation to Head of House: Head

Spouse's Name: Stella Standard

Father's Birthplace: Romania

Mother's Birthplace: Romania

Occupation: Certified Publicist/Office

Education:

Military Service: No

Rent/home value: $67

Age at first marriage: 26

Household Members:

Name / Age

Paul Standard 32

Stella Standard 30

Paul Standard letters, 1935

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, December 13, 1936

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 13, 1937

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, January 30, 1938

Schenectady Gazette (New York), February 9, 1938

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, January 22, 1939

1940 United States Federal Census

Name: Paul Standard

Age: 42

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1898

Gender: Male

Race: White

Birthplace: New York

Marital Status: Married

Relation to Head of House: Head

Home in 1940: New York, New York, New York

Street: East 65th Street

House Number: 445

Farm: No

Inferred Residence in 1935: New York, New York, New York

Residence in 1935: Same Place

Sheet Number: 62A

Number of Household in Order of Visitation: 438

Household Members:

Name / Age

Paul Standard 42 [Press Representative/Railway]

Stella Standard 40

World War II draft card, April 25, 1942

Calligraphy’s Flowering, Decay and Restoration

Society of Typographic Arts, 1947

Pentalic, 1978 reprint

Woman’s Day, December 1947

“Our Handwriting” (photocopy)

The New York Times Magazine

September 5, 1948

Farewell to ‘Penmanship’ (excerpt)

The New York Times Magazine
September 26, 1948
Letter

In your “Farewell to Penmanship” you show a specimen of the brave new (?) hand called “manuscript” which, you claim “is the natural way for kids to write.” No scribal authority in either hemisphere would see anything “natural” about it. It brings to mind the British divine of old, whose faith in the Hebrew Scriptures convinced him that all uncorrupted savages “naturally spoke in purest Hebrew.”

No, the specimen you show is unnatural, and is unworthy of any board’s approval; nor does such approval constitute the “revolution” you see in it. Manuscript writing is nothing new; it is rigid, stuffy and pretentious, having no form worthy the name, no inner consistency, no fluency whatever and hence no place in any public school curriculum.

Paul Standard
New York


Whole Grain Cookery
Stella Standard
Jacket by Paul Standard and Fritz Kredel
John Day Company, 1951


The Knickerbocker News (Albany, New York), February 17, 1963

Social Security Death Index
Name: Paul Standard
SSN: 706-03-4826
Last Residence: 12561  New Paltz, Ulster, New York, United States of America
Born: 19 May 1896
Died: 1 Jan 1992
State (Year) SSN issued: Railroad Board (Issued Through) (Before 1951)


Alphabet Stories: A Chronicle of Technical Developments

Calligraphic Salutations: Hermann Zapf's Letterheadings to Paul Standard

Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science

Smith College Libraries

Society for Italic Handwriting

(Next Monday, Anatomy of a Logo: Ironwolf)