Description
Dormer originated in 1888 with Chicago’s Great Western foundry. Their successor, Barnhart Bros. & Spindler, renamed it Pekin and continued prodicing it well into the 20th century.
This type is from the matrix fonts in the Chas. Broad collection. Partway through casting, the lowercase C mat failed catastrophically. But by pure luck one of the font’s two duplicate mats was this character, and the project was completed. Nevertheless, first proof revealed that the matrices were in poor condition; we noted at least seven characters with visible, if minor, flaws. The decision was made to go ahead and offer it for sale (with disclaimer)—but given the rundown condition and high failure probability of the mats, Dormer will not be cast again.
