The Ludlow Typograph was one of the four major type composing systems that survived through the 20th century (the others were Monotype, Linotype, and Intertype), and numerous typefaces were designed specifically for its system. Today we show some Fraktur and Hebrew typefaces designed for the Ludlow Typograph.
German-reading peoples were the last group to relinquish the use of Gothic typefaces like Fraktur in the mid-20th century, and since, in our post-WWII imaginations, this kind of letterform is often associated with the Nazis (even though the Nazis themselves abolished it in 1941 after associating it with Jewish influences), it seems odd and even wrong to have it displayed along with Hebrew typefaces.
These specimens are displayed side by side in Ludlow Typefaces: A Specimen Book of Matrix Fonts, produced in Chicago around 1940, just before the Nazis jettisoned the use of Fraktur. The letterform itself has its roots in the late 12th century, and so has nothing to do with the National Socialist Party, except that the Nazis and all German-reading peoples used it until the 1940s because it was a letterform long associated with German national identity. And, of course, German Jews comfortably used Fraktur to read and write in German.
Read more about the Ludlow Typograph and its composing system in this post.
View some Ludlow ornaments and borders from this specimen book.
My last day at the @nli_israel archives... And what an incredibly beautiful and fascinating image to end with! This is from a bilingual prayer book published in 1883, with Hebrew on one page and Maghrebi Judeo-Arabic translation on the other. The editor even translated the shiviti, a traditional form of Jewish meditative art, so that "I have placed the L!RD's presence before me always" becomes "ja'alat Allah liqbalati da'iman." What an amazing time in Jerusalem... Many new friends and some great finds. Next stop: Tel Aviv!
This week we present some early 20th-century typographic Yiddish poster designs from Latvia. These come from a collection of 78 posters composed in metal and wood type in Hebrew, Roman, and some Cyrillic typefaces. The posters are “show-print” style advertisements, some with colorful rainbow-roll printing, mainly for performances and presentations (theater, vaudeville, music, lectures, etc.) in the 1920s and 1930s. They range in size from 9″x 13″ / 23 x 33 cm (smallest) to 29″x 44″ / 23.66 x 111.75 cm (largest), with the majority about 23″x 36″ / 58.42 x 91.45 cm. All the posters have been digitized, which you may find in our Digital Collections.
Here’s some information about each poster, starting from the top:
1.) A metal and wood type poster advocating for a vote for a pro-Zionist workers' movement or action, ca. 1925. Languages: Yiddish and Latvian.
2.) A poster in metal and wood type announcing the performance of Der Dorfs-Jung, 'a world famous drama in four acts' in Daugavpils, Latvia. There is also choir singing Russian songs; a 'first class ballet', which will include a 'ghost dance', as well as a Russian dance; a grand ball with a lottery will go until 4 a.m after the drama. Languages: Yiddish, Latvian, and German.
3.) A metal and wood type poster advertising an event featuring two performances, The Crazy Idler and Manachem-Mendl, the World Matchmaker in Daugavpils, Latvia, March 10, 1928. The performances are followed by a dance. Languages: Yiddish and Latvian.
4.) A poster in metal and wood type advertising a Purim ball at the Davinsker Ayznban Teyater in Daugavpils, Latvia, March 7, 1926, where there were two different productions, and activities to follow. There was also a 'rich buffet', a dance until 4 in the morning, lottery, flowers, and confetti. Languages: Latvian, Russian, Yiddish.
5.) A metal and wood type poster advertising performances of two operettas on two separate nights, at the Teater Palas in Riga, Latvia. The first is a performance of What a Girl Knows and is a benefit for Esther Zevkina, March 20, 1926. The second is a performance of Whimper and Whine, March 21, 1926. Languages: Latvian and Yiddish.
6.) A poster in metal and wood type advertising a benefit for destitute school-children at the Lotgelisher Teater, Latvia, August 12, 1928. The program includes performances of Chekov’s A Marriage Proposal and The Bear; performances of Yiddish Children’s Folk Songs; Gymnastics; a dance lasting until 3 in the morning. Languages: Latvian and Yiddish.
7.) A poster in metal and wood type advertising an event hosted by a Socialist- Zionist youth organization in Daugavpils, Latvia, August 21st, 1925. It is both a concert and a rally, with six speakers, including Anna Molk who will be both singing and speaking. The poster invites workers, artisans, employees, and small business owners to this 7th meeting. Languges: Yiddish and Latvian.
8.) A metal and wood type poster advertising two operettas at the Teater Palas in Riga, Latvia: The Old Hag, February 13,1926, and Der Yakshn, February 14, 1926. Languages: Latvian and Yiddish.
9.) A poster in metal and wood type advertising a public meeting of the Daugavpils chapter of the Jewish Labor Bund, September 18, 1922. Languages: Latvian, Yiddish, and Russian.
10.) A metal and wood type poster printed in a rainbow roll announcing an event for a high-school-aged young adults honoring Hanukkah in Daugavpils, Latvia, December 4,1926. It includes two drama performances, and is followed by a dance. Languages: Yiddish and Latvian.
... did not quite go as planned. I got derailed by a lunch meeting that went long, and then a community lecture that I’m giving on Thursday that I just realized I have to actually write before then, and then making dinner, and then I gave up on attempting productivity and started watching episodes of Who Do You Think You Are on YouTube (it’s educational, I argue, because it’s public history, so it’s basically just professional development).
But tomorrow! Tomorrow I will begin... I would like to start re-outlining my chapter about the Jewish printing industry in North Africa to include a new focus on ephemera, based on some of the material I found in the archives last month. And actually organizing my photos would be helpful. And I would like to make notes on two articles that I skimmed and thought would be useful, but will likely forget if I don’t write it down... Panicking about how my advisor hasn’t responded to the initial report I sent a week ago isn’t on the official agenda, but I’m sure I can squeeze that in.
Image: announcements from the Moroccan newspaper Al-Moghreb Al-Aksa, 1883. The Judeo-Spanish advertisement reads:
Announcement! For letters of exchange, bills, accounts, circulars, stamped paper and envelopes, cards, invitations, programmes, and every kind of printing job with Hebrew type: the Abrines press, Tangiers.
