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Charles Pont Collection relating to Frederic Goudy
An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University
Finding aid created by: MRC
Date: 17 Feb 2017
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| Return to finding aids search |
Finding aid created by: MRC
Date: 17 Feb 2017
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Overview of the Collection |
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| Creator: | Pont, Charles E. (Charles Ernest), 1898-1971. |
| Title: | Charles Pont Collection relating to Frederic Goudy |
| 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 |
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.
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.
Alphabetical by type or topic.
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.
See also the Frederic W. Goudy Collection and the David M. Norton Collection relating to Frederic Goudy.
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.
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.
Book dummies
Printing plates
Type
Miscellaneous
| 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 | ||||||||||