Lettering: Crouse & Brandegee Hand-Lettered Advertisement

Clothier and Furnisher
December 1889

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Next post on Monday: Tommy Thompson, Lettering Artist)

 

Creator: Duke Wellington, Poster Artist

 
Dale King “Duke” Wellington was born on August 9, 1896 in Cherokee County, Kansas according to his World War II draft card. A family tree, at Ancestry.com, said he was born in the town of Hallowell. Wellington’s parents were Arthur Edwin Wellington (1870–1960) and Nellie L. McCoy (1874–1958) who married on November 6, 1890 in Cherokee.

The 1900 United States Census counted Wellington (line 8) and his parents in Lola, Kansas. His father worked in the dairy business.

The Wellington family (lines 24 to 27) were recorded in the 1905 Kansas state census.

In the 1910 census, the Wellingtons (lines 19 to 22) lived in Columbus, Kansas at 309 Florida Avenue.

Wellington attended Cherokee County High School. He was in the class of 1916 and editor of the 1916 yearbook, Checoukan.

1914 Checoukan

 

The Columbus Daily Advocate (Kansas), June 30, 1916, noted Wellington’s summer job.

Dale Wellington leaves for Kansas City tonight, where he will enter the employ of the Thomas Cusack Sign Co., for the summer.

The Thomas Cusack Company, based in Chicago, also operated in Kansas City and Indianapolis.
 

Who’s Who in American Art 1973 said Wellington attended Kansas State College but that was incorrect. The Columbus Daily Advocate, September 11, 1916, said “Dale Wellington went to Pittsburg [Kansas] today to attend the state normal.” Today the school is known as Pittsburg State University. Eight months later, Wellington quit school. Modern Light (Columbus, Kansas), May 17, 1917 said

Dale Wellington has discontinued his work in Pittsburg normal, and will leave in two weeks for a war training school of the Y. M. C. A., where he will study army Y. M. C. A. work and prepare for work in France.

The Columbus Daily Advocate, August 16, 1917, said

Dale Wellington Is Home
But He Leaves Tonight for Texas to Engage in Y. M. C. A. Work
Dale Wellington arrived home yesterday morning from Estes Park, Colorado and will leave tonight for San Antonio, Texas, from which place he will proceed to camp Travis, where he has been appointed manager and general secretary of the army Y. M. C. A. After leaving school at Pittsburg in the spring Wellington went to Estes Park, where he took special training in Y. M. C. A. work and was recently accepted for service in the army camps.

Wellington’s book, Theory and Practice of Poster Art (1934), said

Before the World War, Wellington was for several years engaged in various branches of sign display work, gaining experience in display-card art, window display art, outdoor advertising art, and carnival and circus promotion. He enlisted in the army in 1918 and served with the tank corps of the American expeditionary forces in France, holding the rank of first sergeant at the time of his discharge.

Modern Light, August 15, 1918, published Wellington’s address: “Sergt. Dale K Wellington, Co. A. 303d Battalion, Tank Corps, Camp Colt, Gettyburg, Pa.”

The following day, Modern Light said

Dale K. Wellington is stopping off here today and tomorrow to visit his parents. He has been in training at Estes Park and is now on his way to San Antonio, Texas, where he has been appointed as general secretary of an army Y. M. C. A. building located at Camp Travis, which is one of the three largest national cantonments, being occupied by 75,000 troops.

Wellington served overseas. Modern Light, October 3, 1918, published Wellington’s tribute to his mother. Wellington’s letter was printed in Modern Light, December 19, 1918.

An Army Transport Service manifest listed Wellington, who departed Marseille, France on February 28, 1919. He arrived at the Port of New York on March 18, 1919. Wellington’s address was 309 West Maple Street, Columbus, Kansas. His veteran’s file said he was discharged on April 11, 1919.

The Columbus Daily Advocate, April 14, 1919, said Wellington was awarded the Croix de Guerre.

Wellington’s marriage was reported in the Modern Light, June 12, 1919.

Miss Helen Smalley and Mr. Dale Wellington were married Monday, June 9, at 6:00 a. m. in Horton, Kansas, at the home of the bride’s parents, Rev. and Mrs. W. S. Smalley.

The ceremony was performed by Rev. Smalley. Only the immediate family and a girl friend of the bride were present.

Immediately after the ceremony; they left for Columbus.

Mr. and Mrs. Wellington were raised in Columbus and attended school here, having graduated from the high school. Mrs. Wellington went to Horton, Kan., with her parents about three years ago, when Rev. Smalley received a call to the Presbyterian church there and has taught in the public school at Horton for two years.

Mr. Wellington is the son of Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Wellington of this city and recently returned from France, where he was in the service several months. He has gone into business with his father at the Wellington Coal and Livery Barn.

Mr. and Mrs. Wellington have gone to housekeeping at 310 East Pine. Their many friends extend congratulations.

The same address was in the 1920 census. Wellington was a retail merchant of coal (line 96). Wellington’s son, William, was born two months after the census enumeration.

The 1921 Kansas City, Missouri city directory (at Ancestry.com) said Wellington was a decorator at Marlborough Studios which filed for bankruptcy later that year. The 1922 directory listed Wellington at 1327 Tracy Avenue. He was a window trimmer for the Schmelzer Company. Wellington’s address in the 1923 directory was 707 West 76th Street. His occupation was signs at 8 West 12th Street. Directories from 1924 to 1926 had the same address. In 1924 he was a manager and, the next two years, an artist. Now Playing: Hand-Painted Poster Art from the 1910s Through the 1950s (2007) said Wellington “began his career as art director for the Texas Theatre in San Antonio, and was active there from 1924 through 1927.”

While Wellington was in San Antonio, his family remained in Kansas City. He was not in Kansas City in 1927 and 1928. Now Playing said Wellington, in 1928, was art director of the Paramount-Publix Theatre Corporation in New York.

Wellington’s hometown of Columbus had an art exhibit. The Kansas City Times, October 30, 1928, said

Dale K. Wellington of New York has work on display. Dale worked as a salesman in Columbus and Kansas City and studied art in Chicago. His work attracted attention and Publix Corporation sent him to San Antonio. He originated a new method of lobby display work there that attracted national attention and is now head of the art department of the Publix Corporation. He is the son of Ed Wellington, long a police officer in this city and county.

According to the 1930 census, Wellington (line 1) and his family lived in Manhattan at 540 West 158th Street. He was a Paramount Corporation artist.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, December 27, 1932, reported the death of Wellington’s wife, Helen.

Wellington left Publix to form his own company. Variety, March 7, 1933, said

Wellington Steps out
After serving Publix exclusively for 10 years in building of house fronts and lobby displays, Duke Wellington has incorporated to do a general business with all companies.

Set up as Duke Wellington, Inc., he already has the RKO account and is handling display work on ‘42nd Street’ for Warner Bros.

At a meeting today (Tuesday) it will be decided whether Wellington will handle fronts for the two Radio City houses. As Publix’s exclusive builder of house and lobby displays, Wellington did business under firm name of Display Craft.

Signs of the Times, October 1933, featured illustrations by Wellington and his studio here and here.

In 1934, Wellington’s book, Theory and Practice of Poster Art, was published. (It was reprinted in 1986.)

Display World, March 1934

The book included lettering samples.

 

Wellington married Gerda Becker in Elkton, Maryland on May 26, 1935. The place and date were on her Petition for Naturalization. Gerda was German and naturalized on November 9, 1943.

Motion Picture Herald, May 9, 1936, said

Casanave Appoints Wellington
Charles L. Casanave has appointed Duke Wellington, formerly Art Director of Publix Theatres and author of “The Theory and Practice of Poster Art,” as Art Director for National Screen Accessories, Inc. He will make his headquarters at the home office in New York.

Wellington registered to vote in Manhattan on October 10, 1936. His address was 325 West 45th Street. The Democrat worked for National Screen.

The same address was recorded in the 1940 census. Wellington (line 12) was 44 years old and Gertrude 28. He was an art director in the motion picture industry.

Six months later, Wellington registered to vote as a Republican. His address was unchanged.

On April 25, 1942, Wellington signed his draft card. He had the same address and worked at the American Display Company, 525 West 43rd Street. Wellington’s description was five feet eight inches, 170 pounds, with blue eyes and brown hair.

Wellington’s veteran’s file said he served from August 15, 1942 to January 8, 1946. Details are not known.

After the war, Wellington moved to Phoenix, Arizona. The 1947 city directory listed his address as 65 West Thomas. He was a displayman at Calapco (Central Arizona Light and Power Company).

The 1950 census counted Wellington (line 30) and his wife in Centinela, California at 1658 110th Place. He was the proprietor of an advertising company.

The State of Kansas conducted a census of its cities and counties. In 1951, Wellington was at 119 East Elm in Columbus. The 1953 census listed him and his wife at the same address. The censuses for 1959 and 1960 recorded Wellington, his wife, son and father in Columbus at 309 Maple. Wellington, his wife and son were counted, in 1961, at the same address (lines 21 to 23).

 1953

 

1961

Wellington’s first visit to Taos, New Mexico may have been in 1960. The Taos News, July 14, 1960, mentioned Wellington twice.

Guests of the Doel Reeds last week were the Duke Wellingtons of Columbus, Kan. Mr. Wellington formerly with Paramount Studios art department, Hollywood, studied with Mr. Reed during his two week teaching sessions at the Spiva Art Center, Joplin, Mo., this summer and last. While here he made the attractive posters for the pre-fiesta fashion show. The visitors were entertained at parties hosted by the Reeds and others.

Gibberds Host Board Party
Members of the Taos Artists Association board, their wives and husbands, were entertained at cocktails by the Eric Gibberds, at their, home, Wednesday afternoon of last week. They were the Doel Reeds and their houseguests, the Duke Wellingtons of Columbus, Kan., the Mario Larrinagas, Ford Goods, Dick Graingers and their guest, Bill Turbot of Albuquerque, the Lozier Funks and Emil Bisttram.

The Taos News, June 15, 1961, said

Duke Wellington of Columbus, Kans., arrived recently to work on his Talpa house. He will be joined later by Mrs. Wellington.

Wellington and his wife spent the winters in Columbus and summers in Taos.

The Taos News, March 16, 1967, mentioned Wellington’s TV shows.

Duke Wellington who spends much of each year at his Talpa home, from Columbus, Kan., has a new program on KOAM-TV Channel 7, entitled “Duke in Art.” He has done two live shows and will have 13 taped shows. Wellington, who made his home in New York for 30 years, was chief art director for Paramount theatres. He now spends several months in Columbus each winter from his art studio in Ranchos de Taos. Wellington hopes, through his TV program, to help young and old alike to enjoy art alive in the four-state area.

Who’s Who in American Art 1976 said his mailing address was Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico 87557. He was represented by the Reynolds Gallery in Taos.

Wellington passed away on August 14, 1987. The Social Security Death Index said his last residence was Columbus, Kansas. He was laid to rest at Park Cemetery.


Related Posts
Mon Randall
Bluebird Photo-Plays Advertisements, Part 1
Bluebird Photo-Plays Advertisements, Part 2


(Next post on Monday: Bernard Kantor, Little-Known Contributor to Golden Age Superman)

Lettering: Andy Warhol, Commercial Artist

 

Art Direction, April 1961
Fritzie Miller Associates advertisement lettered by Andy Warhol

 

 

Art Direction, April 1962
Champion Papers advertisement
Andy Warhol photographed by Art Kane
Art Kane illustrated by Andy Warhol

 

 Art Direction, June 1964

 

 

(Next post on Monday: Art Direction 1963)

Alphabets: Art Lettering

Internet Archive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 (Next post on Monday: Champion Papers in Art Direction)

Lettering: Victor Moscoso in Art Direction

Art Direction, May 1974

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Now you see it. Now you don’t,” says Victor Moscoso about this 

month’s cover.

If you look carefully, you’ll see Moscoso’s spelling out of the word 

art in the negative spaces between the blue Stonehenge-like shapes.

Originally a design for a job for Field Educational Enterprises (with 

Bruce Cortebien as design director and Joe Di Chiaro as AD), the 

art was revamped for AD’s cover in Moscoso’s inimitable style, 

using pen and ink with an acetate overlay.

“I do a lot of work for Zap Comix, and some for Snatch and Jiz (a 

very underground magazine,” says Moscoso. Recently, he’s also 

done album covers for Jerry Garcia and Herbie Hancock.

Working out of San Francisco, Moscoso’s reached at (415) 456-8389.

 

 

Related Post
Victor Moscoso, 1950s Student, Artist and Athlete

 

 

(Next post on Monday: A Few Details About Verdun Cook, a Graphic Designer, Lettering Artist, Photographer, Art Director, Artist and Singer)

 

Lettering: J. Albert Cavanagh, Lettering Artist

1939 Prattonia yearbook

John Albert Cavanagh was born on March 8, 1885 in Boston, Massachusetts according to his Massachusetts birth record (at Ancestry.com), World War I and II draft cards and Social Security application (at Ancestry.com). Many sources had the incorrect birth year 1888 which appeared on a 1946 copyright entry. Cavanagh’s parents were Sylvester G. Cavanagh, a shoemaker, and Rose G. Kelley, who married on November 25, 1880 in Needham, Massachusetts.

The Cavanagh family has not yet been found in the 1900 United States Census. A 1909 Boston directory listed Cavanagh, an artist, and his father at 1 Parkman Place. The residence column, as of May 1, 1908, said Cavanagh resided in New York, New York. Information about his art training is not available.

Cavanagh has not yet been found in the 1910 census. The 1915 New York state census counted Cavanagh (line 38), his wife, Katherine, and nine-year-old daughter, Estelle, in Manhattan at 140 West 105th Street. Cavanagh was an artist.

On September 12, 1918, Cavanagh signed his draft card. His address was 44 West 37th Street in Manhattan. The self-employed artist was described as medium height and build, with blue-gray eyes and dark brown hair.

According to the 1920 census, Cavanagh (line 30) was an artist in advertising. He and his wife resided in the Bronx at 2264 Creston Avenue.

Printers’ Ink, July 24, 1924, said

Form New Advertising Art Business
J. A. Bensinger and J. Albert Cavanagh, for the last five years members of the firm of, Cavanagh & Bensinger, Inc., advertising art, New York, have formed separate businesses at that city. Mr. Bensinger will continue under the name of Bensinger Studios. After August 1, Mr. Cavanagh will conduct a studio under his own name.

Cavanagh advertised in Printers’ Ink, September 4, 1924.

Printers’ Ink, October 23, 1924, said

G. P. Haynes with J. Albert Cavanagh
G. P. Haynes, recently with Rusling Wood, New York, has joined J. Albert Cavanagh, advertising art, New York. Mr. Haynes was at one time art director with Calkins & Holden, Inc., advertising agency, New York.

Cavanagh advertised in Advertising and Selling Fortnightly, November 5, 1924.

Printers’ Ink, February 5, 1925, printed Cavanagh’s hand-lettered advertisement.

In the 1925 New York state census, Cavanagh and his wife were Pelham, New York residents at 153 Fifth Avenue.

Cavanagh and his wife vacationed in the Bahamas and returned home on January 19, 1926.  

Printers’ Ink, January 28, 1926, said Cavanagh and Ben Nash gave a lecture about “The Principles of Hand-Lettering” at the Art Directors Club.

Cavanagh had an office in the Graybar Building.

Cavanagh has not yet been found in the 1930 census. For recreation Cavanagh played golf.

In the mid-1930s, Cavanagh had a school. In 1939 and 1947 he joined the faculty of Pratt Institute, in Brooklyn, New York, where he taught lettering. Cavanagh was a teacher at the Jean Morgan School of Art.

In 1939, Cavanagh published Lettering. The 1946 updated edition was published by Halcyon House. The 1955 Lettering and Alphabets was reprinted by Dover Publications.

The 1940 census said Cavanagh (line 32) and his wife lived in Mount Vernon, New York at 660 Locust Street. He was an art teacher.

The same address was on Cavanagh’s draft draft card which he signed on April 26, 1942.

Cavanagh passed away on July 20, 1947 in Boston. On July 22, 1947, the Boston Globe was first to publish an obituary.

Cavanagh—In Dorchester, July 20. John Albert, well-known artist. Residence, 232 East 40th st., New York city, New York. Beloved husband of Katherine (Wilson) Cavanagh and brother of Mrs. Eleanor Ryan of 62 Rockne av., Dorchester. Funeral from the chapel of James W. Dolan. Inc., 198 Adams st., Wednesday morning with a Requiem High Mass in St. Brendan’s Church at 10 a. m. Relatives and friends invited. Visiting hours 2 to 5 and 7 to 10. Vermont and New York papers please copy.

The Brooklyn Eagle, July 25, 1947, said

J. Albert Cavanagh, Instructor at Pratt
J. Albert Cavanagh, who for many years had been the director of the Cavanagh School of Art, 19 W. 44th St., Manhattan, and was an instructor in lettering at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, died Sunday in Boston at the home of his sister Mrs. Eleanor G. Ryan. He had recently returned from a vacation in Maine.

Mr. Cavanagh was a member of the Art Directors Club and the Advertising Club of New York. His home was at 232 E. 40th St., Manhattan.

Surviving are his widow, Mrs. Katherine Cavanagh; a daughter, Mrs. W. H. Williams, and his sister.

The funeral was held Wednesday in Boston.

The New York Times, July 25, 1947, noted his death.

J. Albert Cavanagh of this city, advertising lettering artist who had a studio at 19 East [sic] Forty-fourth Street, died on Sunday Boston while visiting a sister. He was 61 years old.

Cavanagh’s name and signature were in the Alphabet Thesaurus Nine Thousand (1960). His typefaces appeared on pages 195, 214, 220, 263, 325, 364, 368, 509, 511, 513, 521, 555, 577, 579, 587, 598, 610, 613, 642, 653, 662, 667, 693, 694, 703, 707, 709, 715 and 719.

Further Reading
Fonts in Use, John Albert Cavanagh

 

Related Post

John Pistilli
 

 

(Next post on Monday: Victor Moscoso in Art Direction)

Lettering: A Few Details About John Pistilli, Lettering Artist

John Anthony Pistilli was born Giovanni Pistilli on December 4, 1925 in Astoria, New York according to the New York, New York Birth Index (at Ancestry.com) and his World War II draft card. Pistilli’s middle name was on his Social Security application (transcribed at Ancestry.com). His parents were Nicholas and Anna, both Italian immigrants.

Pistilli’s parents and three siblings were aboard the ship Lapland when it departed Naples, Italy on February 17, 1924. The family arrived at the Port of New York on February 29, 1924. The manifest said their final destination was Flushing, New York.

The 1925 New York state census, enumerated June 1, counted the Pistilli family in Astoria, Queens at 12 South Lebanon Terrace.

In the 1930 United States Census, four-and-a-half-year-old Pistilli (line 95), his parents and two siblings resided in Astoria at 25-43 Eighteenth Street. His father was a laborer in the subway.

The 1940 census recorded the Pistillis (lines 54 to 57) in Astoria at 25-47 Eighteenth Street. Pistilli and his father, both clerks, and brother Louis, a chauffeur, all worked in a vegetable business.

On December 6, 1943, Pistilli signed his draft card. His description was five feet eleven inches, 170 pounds, with brown eyes and hair.

Pistilli served in the Navy. His draft card said he was honorably discharge on February 17, 1946. The Long Island Star-Journal, February 21, 1946 said

Armed Forces Discharge 91 at 6 Centers
89 Sailors, Two Army Corporals Included in Group
Six separation centers announced today the honorable discharge of 91 North Queens men. There were 89 sailors and two army corporals in the group.

The veterans and the separation centers where they were released follow: ...

Navy
Lido Beach
John Pistilli, GM 3/c. 25-47 18th street, Astoria [Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class]

At some point Pistilli enrolled at the Jean Morgan School of Art. According to Lubalin 100, Day 13,

... [Pistilli] graduated from the Jean Morgan School of Art in New York City in 1949, where he studied lettering under J. Albert Cavanagh and learned other commercial art skills before completing additional art courses at the City College of New York. Pistilli did a brief “stint with various window display studios,” but soon after, began his employment at Sudler & Hennessey, Inc. in 1949, where he remained until retirement.

A profile of Pistilli, in the Press-Enterprise (Riverside, California), February 27, 2000, said

... After the war, he enrolled in art school and rediscovered his love for lettering. Pistilli said he was one of a few “lettering fools” who was constantly lettering all class assignments, even for subjects such as anatomy.

A special lettering class was formed and taught by J. Albert Cavanaugh [sic], who was one of the top letterers of the time.

In 1949, two weeks after graduating from the Jean Morgan School of Art in New York City, Pistilli was hired by J.B. Robert, Inc., a small studio that handled window displays. In the spring of the following year, the right-handed artist joined Sudler and Hennessey, Inc., where he stayed for the remainder of his career. ...

Pistilli’s lettering instructor, Cavanagh, who was also on the faculty of Pratt Institute in 1947, passed away on July 20, 1947 in Boston, Massachusetts.

According to the 1950 census, Pistilli (line 9) was in the household of his brother, Louis, which included his mother, sister-in-law and nephew. They were Astoria residents at 25-44 14th Place. Pistilli’s occupation was “printer” at an art studio.

The Press-Enterprise profile said Pistilli “designed trademarks for companies such as Reader’s Digest, Rolling Stone, Vogue, Harper’s, Cover Girl, English Leather, Exxon, Whirlpool, Woolworth’s, Schwepps, Cutty Sark, Hertz and Stride Rite.” A photograph of Pistilli included logos for the restaurant, Café des Artistes, and bar, Charley O’s. Below are some of Pistilli’s lettering.

Graphis Annual 1955/56

 

Slipcase front and back

37th Annual of Advertising and Editorial Art and Design (1958)

 

Art Direction, May 1958

 

 

SH&L logo, Art Direction, September 1958

(additional examples here)

SH&L logo, Print, September–October 1958

Holiday, October 1959

(cover credited to Herb Lubalin)

 

 Air Mail Stamps, 1959–1961

 Dimension, CBS Radio, 1960

(Billboard, June 13, 1964, series began November 1960)

The Saturday Evening Post, September 16, 1961, logo debut;

(Norman Rockwell painted Herb Lubalin at the drawing board)

 

Callaway Towels, 1961
(credit in Art Direction, December 1961)

 

Eros, Spring 1962, detail

(credit in Art Direction, May 1963)

 

Eros, Summer 1962, detail
(credit in Art Direction, May 1963)

 

American Poster ’63 (1963)

 

 

Art Direction, June 1964

 

Later, Inc. was added.

521 Herb Lubalin Inc.

48th Annual of Advertising, Editorial

and Television Art and Design (1969)

 

44th Annual of Advertising & Editorial Art & Design (1965); matchcover below

 

 

44th Annual of Advertising & Editorial Art & Design (1965)

Pistilli Roman was used by the Library & Museum of the Performing Arts

at Lincoln Center. Bulletin of the New York Public Library, November 1965.

 (The typeface was trademarked by the Visual Graphics Corporation.)

Below: Various headings from a 1979 Lincoln Center program, Stagebill.

#195, September 11, 1975, logo debut

 

Alphabet, 1977

Creativity 9 (1980)

 

In 1988, Pistilli was semiretired and moved to Marshalls Creek, Pennsylvania where he continued to freelance. His “retirement” was recorded in the Congressional Record of the 100th Congress, February 24, 1988.

John Pistilli Retires After 40 Years as Lettering Director
Hon. Bill Green
Of New York in the House of Representatives
Wednesday, February 24, 1988
Mr. Green. Mr. Speaker, my congressional district of New York City quite possibly has the largest concentration of artists of any in the Nation. Yet it is hard to imagine an artist whose work has had greater visibility than lettering designer John Pistilli, who is retiring today after nearly 40 years as lettering director at Sudler and Hennessey Advertising Inc.

The trademarks John has created read like a virtual overview of modern popular culture. They include Reader’s Digest, Rolling Stone, Vogue, McCall’s, Saturday Review, Harper’s, Holiday, Simplicity, Butterick, Cover Girl, English Leather, Avon, Nice’N Easy, Bonnie Bell, Prince Matchabelli, Caravelle, Exxon, Whirlpool, Woolworth’s, Singer, Schweppe’s, Cutty Sark, Hertz, Perdue, Stride Rite, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Metropolitan Opera, and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

John has won numerous awards from such organizations as the American Institute of Graphic Art, the Art Director’s Club, and the Type Director’s Club. In 1959, he received an award from the U.S. Government for his lettering of the Statute of Liberty stamp series.

But of his many accomplishments, Pistilli feels most proud of Pistilli Roman. Requisitioned by Aaron Burns, the typeface was designed and executed in only 2 1/2 weeks for the purpose of introducing a nationwide typeface contest. But it did even more than that; it began a new era in typography: juxtaposing accentuated weights against hairline forms.

Pistilli’s love for lettering goes back to his childhood days in Queens, NY, when he drew designs on the sidewalk with chalk, and even devised fancy numbers for his baseball team’s first, second, and third bases. Following his graduation from the Jean Morgan School of Art in 1949, Pistilli began his lettering career with J.B. Roberts, Inc., a small studio which handled window diplays [sic]. In the spring of 1950, he joined Sudler & Hennessey, where he has remained ever since.

Pistilli’s logo designs derive not only from the sound and meaning of the words, but also from the shapes of the characters within the words. “If you squint your eyes,” he says, “the overall character of the word should reflect a nice balance between positive and negative shapes.” His award-winning “Design 11” logo, created for Sudler & Hennessey’s 11th-floor art department, is a prime example of that balance. He calls this logo “a pure combination of concentric and square forms,” in that it combines perfect circles with perpendicular lines.

Having observed the transition in the past 25 years to phototypesetting, Pistilli does concede, however, that typography has made a great deal of technical progress and will continue to do so. “In the early 1960’s, the use of computer technology to create a multitude of typesetting devices has made typesetting much faster and much less expensive. And phototypesetting has also created unheard of type flexibility: most of our type suppliers can now give us phototypography, typositor strips, minus leading, and minus settings, things which were virtually impossible in metal typesetting.”

If Pistilli’s standards seem high, his personal record of achievement remains his best testimony. In today’s competitive art market, too many artists surrender their creative standards. On more than one occasion, art directors have found themselves at odds with John Pistilli on issues involving type design; but they always end respecting him for standing by his professional convictions.

John has been married to his wife Dorothy for 31 years. They have one son, John, who majored in government at Harvard at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and now attends law school at the University of Southern California.

Pistilli moved to Sun City, California in 1991. Three years later, Pistilli and his wife settled in San Jacinto, California.

Pistilli passed away on August 14, 2003 in Loma Linda, California. An obituary appeared in the Press-Enterprise on August 27, 2003.

John Pistilli created trademarks
Typographer: He designed logos for such clients as Cutty Sark, Exxon and Whirlpool.

San Jacinto—John Pistilli, a nationally known typographer whose work subtly influenced the tastes and buying habits of millions of Americans for more than 40 years, died Aug. 14 at Loma Linda University Medical Center. He was 77.

Mr. Pistilli helped create trademarks for such companies as Schwepps, Whirlpool, Exxon and Cutty Sark, and collaborated on the mastheads for Gourmet, New York and McCall’s magazines. He nay have owed his career to a childhood stutter, said his son, John Jr., a Los Angeles attorney.

“He was a very gentle, low-key guy, and he had  stuttering problem as a child,” his son said. “It may simply have been easier for him to communicate graphically.”

Mr. Pistilli grew up drawing pictures in chalk on the sidewalks of his neighborhood in New York City. He lettered the names of friends and drew their portraits, soon earning a reputation for creating fancy numerals and drawing base paths for stickball games.

“The fellows said I could draw a straighter line,” he said in a 2000 interview.

A self-described “lettering fool,” he studied with J. Albert Cavanaugh [sic], one of New York’s top letterers at the time, and graduated from the Jean Morgan School of Art in 1949.

The next year, he was hired by Sudler & Hennessey, a New York advertising agency that specialized in medical accounts. Now part of Young and Rubicam, the agency allowed him to freelance. Soon he was designing logos and working on major national accounts for several agencies. He produced work for Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera and did the lettering for a series of stamps issued by the U.S. Postal Service in 1960.

Mr. Pistilli earned 55 awards and was recognized by the Art Directors Club of New York, the American Institute of Graphic Arts and the Type Directors Club of New York.

Ultimately, he designed his own typeface, aptly named Pistilli Roman. He created it to enter a national design competition, but later said it was one of his proudest accomplishments.

“Pistilli Roman was one of the first typefaces designed for photo typesetting,” his son said. “It was a totally new technique at the time, anode course, that process really revolutionized the whole graphics field.”

But, despite being on the forefront of new technology, Mr. Pistilli was not a computer advocate.

“I’m from the old school,” he said in a 2000 interview. “I don’t even want to know where the on-off switch is. I don’t hate computers, but you just lose so much style.”

In 1990, he retired to Sun City and later to San Jacinto with his wife, Dorothy. In addition to his wife and son, Mr. Pistilli is survived by a sister, Theresa Pietramonaco of New York.

Miller-Jones Mortuary in Hemet handled cremation arrangements.

Further Reading and Viewing
The Paper Stack, Pistilli Roman
Type Network, Redesigning an icon: How Rolling Stone got its new logo
Luc Devroye, John Pistilli
MyFonts, John Pistilli
Portland Design History, Jantzen Alphabet
38th Annual of Advertising and Editorial Art and Design (1959), Lark lettering might be by Pistilli
Herb Lubalin’s S&H and SH&L Advertisements, 1955–1963
The Name’s Lubalin, Herb Lubalin.

 

 

(Next post on Monday: A Few Details About Irving Werstein, Letterer, Writer and Editor)