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Charles Pont Collection relating to Frederic Goudy

An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Pont, Charles E. (Charles Ernest), 1898-1971.
Title: Charles Pont Collection relating to Frederic Goudy
Inclusive Dates: circa 1932-1960
Quantity: 2 linear ft.
Abstract: Book dummies, metal and wood printing plates, metal type, and assorted miscellany relating to American printer and type designer Frederic Goudy, collected and/or created by artist and author Charles E. Pont.
Language: English
Repository: Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
222 Waverly Avenue
Syracuse, NY 13244-2010
https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

Charles Ernest Pont (1898-1971) was a French-born Swiss-American watercolor and oil painter, etcher, engraver, magazine/book illustrator, lecturer, and writer. He was also a Baptist minister.

Frederic W. Goudy (1865-1947) was an American printer and prolific type designer of more than 120 fonts, among them Copperplate Gothic, Kennerley, and Goudy Old Style.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Charles Pont Collection relating to Frederic Goudy consists of book dummies, printing plates, metal type, and assorted miscellany relating to American printer and type designer Frederic Goudy, collected by artist and author Charles E. Pont. The material was cataloged by Pont's daughter Joan after his death.

Book dummies consist of dummies for two books by Charles Pont, F.W.G.: Some Letters by Goudy and Ships and Such. Dummies include penciled sketches, page layouts, and photographs. Neither appear to have ever been published.

Most of the Printing plates are by Frederic Goudy and feature his type, though the precise typefaces are not known. The bulk are metal and mounted on wooden blocks, though there is one woodblock. Plates include blocks of text, alphabet samples, stylized capital letters, and various lines of text. Of particular interest is one which is a reproduction of a letter from Goudy, with his signature. There are also two plates by Pont, both illustrations, perhaps intended as illustrations for his book. For ease of identification and to ensure they are replaced in their correct location, each plate has been assigned a unique number corresponding to a numbered space in the box.

Type contains a complete set of Bertham, Goudy's 100th font, named after his wife Bertha. There are also several packets of unidentified type, including letters, decorations and so on. The original groupings have been retained. However, the original packaging (a mix of decaying/damaged cardboard boxes and plastic bags) had no identifying information, so the typeface(s) represented are unknown.

A few Miscellaneous items complete the collection: an advertisement from Pont's Blue Dolphin Press for prints from the two illustrations mentioned above, a charred piece of wood from Goudy's Mill after one of the two fires that destroyed much of his work, a packet of "furniture" (thin pieces of wood used to hold a block of type together as a unit) and a thin sheet of paper with proofs of a few of the plates in the collection.

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Arrangement of the Collection

Alphabetical by type or topic.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Goudy, Frederic W. (Frederic William), 1865-1947.
Pont, Charles E. (Charles Ernest), 1898-1971.

Subjects

Graphic design (Typography) -- United States.
Printing -- United States -- History.
Type and type-founding -- History.
Type designers -- United States.

Genres and Forms

Dummies (printed matter)
Photographs.
Printing plates.
Type specimens (documents)
Typefaces (Type forms)

Occupations

Printers.
Type designers.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Charles Pont Collection relating to Frederic Goudy,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Purchase, 2014.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: MRC
Date: 17 Feb 2017
Revision history:

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Inventory

Book dummies
Box 1 F.W.G.: Some Letters by Goudy 1938 - sketches, page layouts, etc.
Box 1 Ships and Such, by Charles E. Pont 1960 - sketches, tipped-in photographs, page layouts, etc.
Printing plates
For ease of identification and to ensure they are replaced in their correct location, each plate has been assigned a unique number corresponding to a numbered space in the box.
Goudy plates
Oversize 1 Item 1: stylized letter G
Oversize 1 Item 2: block of text, "departures from good tradition...THESE ARE THE CAPITALS OF THE FONT"
Oversize 1 Item 3: stylized letter S
Oversize 1 Item 4: "L. R. JUGS..."
Oversize 1 Item 5: letter with Goudy's signature, "Dear Sir, See remingtn [sic] type..."
Oversize 1 Item 6: letters specimen, unknown font
Oversize 1 Item 7: picture, possibly a self-portrait, very worn
Oversize 1 Item 8: block of text, "departures from good tradition...THESE ARE THE CAPITALS OF THE FONT - same as Item #2, but slightly smaller
Oversize 1 Item 9: alphabet specimen, unknown font
Oversize 2 Item 10: atylized letter A
Oversize 2 Item 11: title, "WILLIAM MORRIS ON HIS AIMES / THE KELMSCOTT PRESS"
Oversize 2 Item 12: block of text, "Of the great Venetian printers of the 15th century..."
Oversize 2 Item 13: stylized letter I
Oversize 2 Item 14: single line, "R-Lano"
Oversize 2 Item 17: block of text, very worn, ending in "...other noise of the street."
Oversize 2 Item 18: few lines of text, "American Museum of Safety favors Standard Warning Signal"
Oversize 2 Item 19: part of frontispiece? "REPRODUCTIONS OF PICTURES BY NOTED ARTISTS"
Oversize 2 Item 20: business letterhead? "SMITH & SILLS / LA REGENCIA" - woodblock
Oversize 2 Item 21: proof, "November Nineteen Hundred Thirty Two. This proof shows a new type designed by Mr. Goudy..."
Oversize 3 Item 22: block of text, "And a poor painter trudging home Disconsolate..."
Box 1 Item 23: block of text, "Nicolas Jenson, celebrated for the Roman type..."
Box 1 Item 24: block of text, "In printing, the abstract lines we have..."
Box 1 Item 25: partial plate with medieval lettering - identified by Joan Pont as "Goudy medieval working pattern"
Oversize 3 Item 26: letterhead? "GEO. H. MORRILL CO."
Pont plates
Oversize 3 Item 27: Goudy portrait
Oversize 3 Item 28: Old Mill at Deepdene
Type
Oversize 3 Bertham, complete set circa 1936 - Goudy's 100th font, named after his wife Bertha
Oversize 2 Item 16: Goudy type after fire (identified as such by Joan Pont) 1939 - twenty or so pieces of type, charred and damaged by fire
Oversize 3 Unidentified pieces of type, miscellaneous
This consists of six packets of various pieces of type, some letters, some decorative flourishes. The original groupings have been maintained, but each group has been moved out of its original container into a small bag. The original containers (decaying cardboard boxes) had no identifying information, so the typeface(s) represented are unknown.
Miscellaneous
Box 1 Advertisement, Press of the Blue Dolphin - for two Goudy prints, made from items 26 and 27 above (2 copies)
Oversize 3 Furniture - pieces of wood and string, heavily used
Oversize 2 Item 15: Piece of Goudy Mill (identified as such by Joan Pont) 1939 - charred piece of wood from Goudy's Mill following fire
Box 1 Specimens - thin speckled paper, upon which are printed specimens of items 4, 12, and 20 above

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