Barnhard Brothers and Spindler called this typeface Congo when it appeared in their circa-1910 type catalog. The design is characterized by strong Art Nouveau influences, tight spacing and a large x-height.

Even the original founder, Barnhart Bros. & Spindler, thought this was a freaky font, and indeed they called it "Freak" when they introduced it in 1889. It was reintroduced in 1925 under the somewhat more elegant name of "Bamboo," and is one of the prizes that the collectors of antique metal types seek.

This disarming beauty is based on a typeface named "Archer" from the 1905 specimen book from Barnhart Brothers & Spindler. The original was a rather light face; this beefed-up version highlights the face’s charming quirks quite nicely. Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin, 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

One of the type samples showcased in the 1907 Barnhart Brothers & Spindler specimen book was named “Sterling”; a spurred serif Art Nouveau design. This is now available digitally as Millinery JNL in both regular and oblique versions. An old fashioned term for a once plentiful business, ‘millinery’ is a women’s hat shop.

Will Ransom designed the uppercase letters in this typeface for Barnhart Brothers & Spindler in the 1920s, under the name Clearcut Shaded Caps. The lowercase letters come from another BB&S typeface named Clearcut Italic. An elegant headline face, best used sparingly, the font includes decorative flourishes in the brace, bracket and en dash positions.

A 1905 poster for the Austrian National Highway by artist Gustav Jahn inspired the letterforms for this typeface. In the spirit of comity, Barnhart Brothers & Spindler's Publicity Gothic Initial Caps inspired the uppercase treatment. Both versions of this font contain the Unicode 1252 (Latin) and Unicode 1250 (Central European) character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

Will Ransom designed the exemplar for this series for Barnhart Brothers & Spindler in the early 1900s. The typeface was originally named "Parsons", after the advertising director of a Chicago department store (evidently a very BIG customer of BB&S). Both versions of this font contain the Unicode 1252 (Latin) and Unicode 1250 (Central European) character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

This assertively Art Deco face is based on Cubist Bold, designed by John W. Zimmerman for Barnhart Brothers & Spindler in 1929, and takes its name from one of the co-founders—with Pablo Picasso—of the Cubist Movement. Both versions of this font contain the complete Unicode 1252 (Latin) and Unicode 1250 (Central European) character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

An offering from Barnhart Brothers & Spindler’s Catalog No. 9 from 1907, with the rather prosaic name of "Lining Gothic No. 71", inspired this non-nonsense and surprisingly ageless face. As versatile as it is simple, this typeface is a stylish choice for heads and subheads. Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin, 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

This engaging antique text face is based on Paragon Light, from the 1905 specimen book from Barnhart Brothers & Spindler. Although it is spaced and kerned for text work, it also is suited for headlines if you tighten the tracking. Both versions of this font contain complete Unicode 1252 (Latin) and Unicode 1250 (Central European) character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

A charming series of 26 holiday “type warmers” based on the works of Carl S. Junge for the Barnhart Brothers & Spindler type foundry in the 1920s. Single-color cuts are in the uppercase positions, while 13 of the cuts suitable for two-color usage occupy the lowercase in adjacent pairs; e.g., a and b, c and d, and so on.

If you wanted to send out a party invitation in 1923, Barnhart Brothers & Spindler recommended this typeface, which was originally called, simply, "Greeting Card". It also appears to be suitable for greetings from Mars. Available in two weights, regular and bold. Both versions of the font include the 1252 Latin and 1250 CE character sets (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

The 1905 Barnhart Brothers & Spindler catalog featured an ultrawide face called "French Antique Extended". The letterforms have been faithfully rendered here, but this font’s kerning calls for a lot of overlapping and interlocking that the original cast-metal face wouldn't have been able to duplicate. Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin, 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

The pattern for this delightful little font was originally released as Bernhard Heavy Antique Cursive by the Bauersche Geißerei of Frankfurt am Main and designed, of course, by Lucien Bernhard. Dippy, trippy, under the radar and over the top. The Postscript and Truetype versions contain a complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252); in addition, the Opentype version supports Unicode 1250 (Central European) languages as well.

Chamfer, released by Barhart Brothers & Spindler in the late nineteenth century, provided the pattern for this simple, elegant headline face. Both flavors of this font feature the 1252 Latin, 1250 Central European, 1254 Turkish and 1257 Baltic character sets.

The 1923 Barnhart Brothers & Spindler specimen book called this typeface "Cardstyle", and suggested its use at small sizes for business cards. It also work quite well in large sizes when a warm, casual antique feeling is called for. Named for a river that flows through Washington, DC. Both versions of the font include the 1252 Latin and 1250 CE character sets (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

The model for this monocase typeface was issued in the early 1900s by Barnhart Brothers & Spindler with the rather prosaic name of Steelplate. A hundred years later, it still retains its currency (ouch!), which is how it got its name. Complete Adobe character set except for superior numbers. The Opentype version of this font supports Unicode 1250 (Central European) languages, as well as Unicode 1252 (Latin) languages.

Caslon Antique was designed by Berne Nadall and brought out by the American type foundry Barnhart Bros & Spindler in 1896 to 1898. It doesn’t bear any resemblance to Caslon, but has the quaint crudeness of what people imagine type looked like in the eighteenth century. Use Caslon Antique for that “old-timey” effect in graphic designs. It looks best in large sizes for titles or initials.

Two typefaces from the 1923 Barnhart Brothers & Spindler specimen book have been combined to produce this gem. Swagger Capitals, designed by Carl S. Junge, for the uppercase and Gothic Novelty Title for the lowercase. Named for a lively dance from the nineteenth century. Both versions of this font contain the Unicode 1252 Latin and Unicode 1250 Central European character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

Within the 1893 edition of the Barnhart Bros. & Spindler type specimen book is “Bisque”, a text and headline type face with a charmingly eccentric look. Some upper case characters take on more of a squarer look than others, while the lower case has a higher ‘x’ height. This type revival is now available as Soup and Salad JNL in both regular and oblique versions.

This elegant offering is based on a typeface originally called "Design", from Barnhart Brothers & Spindler’s Specimen Catalog Number 9, published in the first decade of the twentieth century. This version has been fine-tuned to set tight, and is suitable for headlines, subheads, and limited amounts of body copy. Both versions of this font include the complete Unicode Latin 1252 and Central European 1250 character sets.

The 1907 Barnhart Brothers & Spindler type specimen catalog called this unique typeface simply "Umbra". Since that name is already taken, it now has another. Due to the highly ornate nature of this face, the font has a limited character set (all accented characters, but no math operators or fractions). The Opentype version of this font supports Unicode 1250 (Central European) languages, as well as Unicode 1252 (Latin) languages.

Library Book Initials JNL was modeled from examples of Sidney Gaunt's Publicity Initials; originally sold in metal type by Barnhart Brothers and Spindler as a companion to the Publicity Gothic typeface. The smoothed-down lines of the original characters allow for these initials to balace better when set against complementary type faces. A regular version is on the upper case keys, with an oblique version on the lower case keys.

In researching historic decorative material offered by Lanston Monotype as well as other metal foundries such as Barnhart Brothers and Spindler, there were occasionally ornaments that defied description. Perhaps it was a Victorian sense of humor or someone really thought these were a good idea or perhaps popular taste has just changed so much over the last hundred years, or our forbearers were completely insane. In any case, LTC is somewhat proud to present a collection of the most bizarre, disturbing and baffling printers ornaments we could find. Along with mutant fowl-children and frolicsome amphibians, there are also Masonic and other secret fraternal symbols that may not be creepy to everyone, but just enough to be moderately disturbing.

Carmine Tango is an elegant script based on a 1934 design by Lucian Bernhard. The Carmine Tango font is a good script for many situations, including invitations, menus and brochures.

This family is based on an offering in Barnhart Brothers & Spindler’s Type Specimen Catalog No. 9, issued around 1910, originally named "Grant". It makes a handsome addition to the Whiz-Bang Woodtype series, and is available in both a Rustic and Refined version. Named for a town in Texas, which the locals pronounce "Reh-FURRY-o". Both versions of this font contain complete Unicode 1252 (Latin) and Unicode 1250 (Central European) character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

The inspiration for this elegant, willowy typeface was found in the 1903 type specimen catalog of Barnhard Brothers & Spindler. The original version was named "Racine"; this version takes its name from another town in Wisconsin. The Postscript and Truetype versions contain a complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252); in addition, the Opentype version supports Unicode 1250 (Central European) languages as well.

In their circa 1900 specimen catalog, Barnhard Brothers and Spindler called this typeface "Samoa", suggesting exotic locales. On the other hand, it also suggests some serious fun, and is named in honor of British artist Dudley Hardy, whose posters used a very similar typeface extensively. Both versions of this font include the complete Unicode Latin 1252 and Central European 1250 character sets.

This family, in normal and bold weights, is based on Advertisers Gothic, designed by Robert Wiebking for Barnhart Brothers & Spindler in 1917. The original might be considered a transitional design between Art Nouveau and Art Deco; this version accentuates the Deco traits, adding a thick-and-thin treatment not found in the original. The large x-height and short descenders allow for compact, commanding headlines with a carefree charm, a.k.a. bell'agio. Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin, 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

What’s the good word? This elegant, stylish typeface, based on an early twentieth-century Barnhart Brothers & Spindler release, named simply "Engravers Upright Script". Based on French ronde letterforms, this version is bolder—which makes it suitable for text settings, even at smaller sizes—and has more pronounced stroke contrast—which makes it suitable for headlines. Versatile, handsome and charming, this typeface is an invaluable addition to any type repertoire. Both versions of the font contain the complete Unicode 1252 (Latin) and Unicode 1250 (Central European) character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.