The Lanston Monotype Machine Co. was America’s major manufacturer of typecasting machinery and the matrices to use with them. In a departure from the 19th century’s status quo of all type being produced by huge urban foundries, Monotype sold their products directly to printing companies large and small so they could cast their own type in-house. The great majority of Skyline’s matrices (and our casters) are Monotype. Numbers were assigned to all type faces and ornamental elements—hence the numbering of our Borders. This month’s new casting is a set of 24 point ornamental initials shown as Initials No. 448. Oddly, the same number was assigned to Initials of a different size, but not the same design. Those are offered by Skyline as Ataraxy Initials, a name I selected arbitrarily. Here then for July is the other No. 448; we’re calling them Monotype Floral Initials. In each set, the letter X was never cut (probably a decision by the same dimbulb who assigned duplicate series numbers). Included are two of each letter plus a few tint blocks should you like to add a second color.
With respect to last month’s comments about the difficulty of tracing the origin of typographical ornaments: after the June 1 release of single-element Border No. 598, our good customer Laurie W in Vermont promptly identified it as one of 20 elements in the Protean Ornaments, Series 6, shown in the 1888 catalog of Barnhart Bros. & Spindler. Design is credited to Charles Emil Heyer, patented May 1, 1888.
June was a very busy month for restock castings : Borders No. 121, 245, 290, 1329, and U-30; Collections No. 19, 49, 64, and 66; and Ataraxy Initials.
Got a couple of road trips coming up this month. First, a quick run up to Salt Lake City to peek in and schmooze at the Ladies of Letterpress Conference, plus visit friends/customers and pick up a load of scrap type metal. But that’s just a warm-up for the big one. Near the end of the month Chief Casterman Jared and I will be launching in the Mustang convertible for Oregon and the American Typecasting Fellowship Conference hosted by the nonprofit C.C. Stern Type Foundry. Following that I’ll be wending my way slowly back home through the more remote and beautiful places in the west.
The Skyline office will be closed July 30 to August 17 and there will be no News Release for August.