III
Despite the overall uniformity of a typeface, stylistic variations in
some minor aspects of the design of a letter, the width of a letter, and serif
formation occurred which provide a category of internal discriminants for
distinguishing same-face fonts. These divide into two groups, depending
upon whether the stylistic variation is obvious to the naked eye, or whether
examination and measurement at high magnification is necessary for
discrimination.[25] The latter is
generally true of Y-face variants and S-face 'k' variants. In instances such
as the S-face 'n' and 'u' noted earlier, a difference can be sensed because
of the heavy inking of these letters, but both widths randomly appear bold,
or as in the case of the 't', the actual horizontal positioning is confused by
heavy inking of the underside of the foot. When the 'n u' appear amidst
other wrongface bold variants as in Danter-M and Creede-3, the difficulty
of sorting them out with the naked
eye is aggravated.[26]
In the S-face, the vertical and oblique stress along with accentuated
serifs render the diagonal letters 'x y z' especially susceptible to illusions.
Variations in inking and damage to the stems and serifs of the two 'y'
variants often suggest stylistic differences, but the variants are identical
except that the right diagonal of "tiny" y2 ("Le Be" specimens 12, 13) is
shorter (2.55mm vs 2.7mm). Both exhibit an enclosed angle of 45 degrees,
a heavily stressed left
stem and a quite fine right diagonal terminated in an offset-left ball, with
top-serifs extending 0.25mm on both sides of the diagonals. y1 usually rides
correctly, although miscasting sometimes causes a left-lean so that the right
top-serif extends above the x-line, while y2 seems always to ride high (as
much as 0.4mm: Creede-1,2,
Sel, D1:11,12, D1v:4;
Simmes-S,
R3, C4v:2). S-fonts use both wide x1 and expanded x2
variants
that are frequently indistinguishable without magnification because of wear,
damage and inking of the accentuated serifs of the expanded variant. The
left top- and base-serifs of many expanded x2 in Field-S fail to ink on the
outside, making them appear narrower (
Arte, E3:22,
"extraordinary" vs "extol-"), although the diagonals cross at a right angle.
A faulty strike from the x2 punch produced this defective x3, which is quite
common and seen in Creede-3 (
R&J Q2, B1v:31) and
other
S-fonts. However, both the wide x1 and x2 appear in
Simmes-S (
Hamlet Q1 STC22275, E1:27,34;
Mal
Q1, F3:4 "extinct", F3:7 "fixt") and are differentiated by the diagonal
crossing angle (x2,3: 90 deg., x1: 72 deg.). Two common variants of 'z'
occur. Wide z1 (1.6-1.65mm wide across tips of serifs, diagonal: 2.4mm)
usually prints fine (
LLL, D3:19;
Sej, C4v:13;
Coblers, C2:13;
Sel, D3v:7); expanded z2
(1.75mm, diagonal: 2.55mm) is squarish and bolder (
LLL,
A3:14;
Sej, D2:14;
Sel, D3v:15;
R3,
E4:35). Oppositely inked z1 and z2 are difficult to distinguish except at
high magnification.
Other useful obvious S-face variants occur in the 'b f g h i k' sorts.
Two apparent 'b' variants (bold: b2) probably can be credited to a
difference in the depth of impression in the matrices which supplied them,
since both exhibit the same acute enclosed angle of the bowl-top junction
with the ascender and length of oblique fineline (0.7mm), and the same
bowl-width (1.3mm) and separation between bowl-junctions on the ascender
(1.3mm). The junction-angle of taller (3.1mm vs 2.9mm), wider (1.35mm)
variant b3 is roughly the same, but the oblique fineline is longer (0.9mm)
and the bowl junctions are separated by 1.45mm; the bottom of the bowl
joins the ascender almost horizontally at the baseline, whereas it curves
upward to form the junction in b1-2 (d'Olive, E1v:11 "best"
vs
"be"; Whore, D3:2 "ru b1 b3 ers"). Both d1-d2 are tall
letters
(2.9-3.05mm high) with a marked left counter and acute bowl-junction
angles but differ in the separation of junctions on the ascender
(d1: 1.15mm; d2: 1.25mm); the bowl-stroke of the narrower d1
(1.15-1.175mm) forms an inverted pear-shaped counter that often seems
awkward; in d2, the stroke thickens as the bowl widens toward the baseline
(top: 1.15mm vs 1.2mm). In both, the ascender broadens to a slanted
termination sans top-serif (d1: LLL,
A3v:10,11,13,14; Whore, A3v:5 "dinner", C3v:15 "heard",
d2:
LLL, A3v:33 "made", B4:14 "helde"; Whore,
A2v:2 "behold", 9 "ashamde"). The thicker d2 almost invariably prints
bold; oppositely inked d1-2 are usually indistinguishable (see
LLL, B4:21 "d2 i d1"). New clean-printing samples of the
tall
(2.9-2.95mm) f1 variant exhibit a slightly stressed ascender which thins as
it curves smoothly high above the cross (0.9mm) into the shoulder that
broadens and terminates horizontally in a small pear (Sel,
D1:15, D2: 4,5). The right half of the base-serif frequently bends
downward in good letters (LLL, A2v:15, A3:9;
R3
A4:4), a result either of damage or a misstrike.
Flattening damage to the shoulder, downward bending of the pear, and
heavy inking of the ascender and underside of the shoulder create a variety
of appearances. However, a separate punch is probably responsible for
variant f2 which is similar to f1 except that the bolder ascender bends to an
oblique line which curves over at the h-line and downward into a larger
pear (
LLL, B4:5 vs B4:6). The uncommon shorter
(2.65-2.75mm) f3 variant with a bold ascender and flat shorter shoulder
(1.15-1.2mm) terminated in a slight pear dominates Eld-S
(
Sej,
B1v:31, B2:22;
Sel, H1:13,16); it probably is imported from
a smaller face, also appearing in Eld-Y1 (
Fools, B4:28). The
narrower EF-face 'f' appears in mixed fonts (
LLL, B2:34
"confesse") and also in S-fonts that have been extensively replenished
(Simmes-S,
R3, A4:10 "if"; Read-S,
Revels,
D4v:4). Two 'g' variants occur. g1 leans left because the body, link and
loop are vertically aligned at the
left, and exhibits a left counter and extra-long ear (
Sej, B3:5;
LLL, A3:7 "lyght"). The left lean is less pronounced in some
letters, probably because of matrix-wobble. Creede-3 uses roughly equal
portions of g1 (
R&J Q2, A4v:3 "go",16,18) and the
vertically aligned g2 with a smaller bowl (
R&J Q2,
A4v:6
"judgement") (see later discussion). Three 'h' variants occur. The smaller
h1 (1.075mm wide, 2.9mm high) is common, while the larger h2
(1.125-1.15mm wide, 3.0mm high) is less frequent; the ascender usually
seems to lean right although the vertical elements are parallel and, as with
b2 and d2, h2 invariably prints bold because of the thick face elements
(Simmes-S,
R3, F4v:4; Read-S,
Revels, B4v:4;
White-M,
LLL, B4:14 "helde", 15 "with",
Fools,
C1:4 "thriftie", I3v:25 "this"). The ascender (2.85-2.9mm) of miscast h3
leans right (x-line width: 1.05mm, baseline: 1:15mm), usually prints bold
(
d'Olive, E2v:9 "with", 10;
Fools, I2v: 11 "have", E4v:24 "her";
Whore,
A2v:17 "had") and is easily confused with the EF-face miscast (normal)
'h'. Two 'i' variants occur. In the common version i1, the dot is vertically
aligned with the letter and is positioned at the tips of triangular top-serifs.
In the fairly rare i2, the dot is to the left of the letter and below the h-line.
Simmes-S and Field-S use the left-dotted i2 exclusively, while Creede-3
divides between the original i2 and the center-dot i1 from Creede-2
(
R&J Q2, A4:21 "enemies"; A4:18 "villaine"); Creede-4
uses the common i1. Finally, three "squat" 'k' variants appear in S-fonts,
but these are difficult to distinguish except at high magnification. The
common k1 and k2 are differentiated by the height of the junction of the
arm-leg link with the ascender (k1: 0.65mm; k2: 0.75mm); the arm and
leg, oriented 45 degrees above and below horizontal, form a right angle and
are tipped with accentuated serifs which, in k1, usually
are worn to nubs and produce a narrower appearance. The shorter arm
(0.65mm) of variant k3 is at a higher angle (52 deg.) and extends 0.9mm
beyond the ascender (vs 1.0mm in k1-k2); the low (0.65mm) junction of the
arm-leg link on the ascender is at an oblique angle rather than perpendicular
(Simmes-S,
R3, E1v:10, E2v:13; Field-S,
Arte,
D4v:1, E3v:3; Creede-4,
Antichrist, [2]H1:35, H2:30). The
low
junction permits distinguishing k3 from the EF-face oblique-junction k2
(0.65mm vs 0.85mm).
Unlike the S-face, the Y-face exhibits considerable susceptibility to
damage
and wear which tend to obscure the stylistic features of letters. Routine
battering and the beating of the type into place in the chase during
locking-up of the forme wreaked havoc with lower-case letters, especially
complex forms such as 'a k y' and some ligatures. The consequent changes
in shape and inking caused by battering often create the appearance of
variants when, in fact, the suspected variants probably derive from the same
punch or matrix. This is also true of miscast letters which lean or displace
from the baseline. The general principle that the form of a letter can be
inferred from the combination of traits that recur consistently in most
samples must, therefore, be applied with extreme caution when working
from reproductions.
[27] The diversity
in Y-face letter appearance caused by battering and inking is no where more
apparent than in the 'a'. Any page of text in old type seems to exhibit a
plethora of variants, but these usually can be
reduced to four or five at most by analysis of the shapes and orientation of
portions of the letter.
[28] The bowl's
diagonal top-stroke in variants a1-2 is at a high angle (28 degrees above
horizontal) and joins directly to the back with an enclosed angle that varies
because of the differing back structures of the two (see list of samples in
Appendix following 'k' variants). In a1, the shoulder stroke curves directly
into the straight back which is usually perpendicular to the baseline,
producing an enclosed junction angle of 62 degrees, although the right edge
of the back gathers ink above the junction and frequently appears curved to
the naked eye. In contrast, the shoulder stroke of a2 continues to curve
slightly inward to the center of the bowl, then bends to the right and
abruptly reverses direction at the baseline to form a "fishing hook" serif
which terminates vertically. The enclosed junction angle is difficult to
measure, since the straight
top-stroke joins a curving back. The back of a1 curves broadly at the
baseline to form a long (0.45-0.5mm) hook that points upward at about 35
degrees; it symmetrically balances the curve at the top of the back, but is
frequently jammed inward to approximate the a2 hook or is blunted. Unlike
the Fell and Le Be 'a', the oblique left portion of the shoulder strokes of
both a1-2 are unstressed and thin imperceptibly (if at all); both are
terminated with a pear (larger and longer in a2, but often blunted) that
extends slightly beyond the edge of the bowl in new letters (0.05mm);
damage to the terminations produces a longer, flatter appearance or a tightly
curved shoulder that terminates short of the bowl's edge. Infrequent
samples of both (15%) print a medial bend because of ink accumulation
although the shoulder is a continuous curve. In both variants, the fine
oblique top-stroke drops directly to form the oval left edge of the bowl and
usually inks as a sharp angle; this contrasts
with the Fell and Le Be bowls which are formed by a curving top-stroke
that broadens into the bowl's oval edge. Finally, the bowl of a1 is slightly
higher (0.65 vs 0.6mm) as measured between bottom and top junctions on
the back; conversely, the peak of a2's shoulder is slightly higher above the
top junction (0.75 vs 0.7mm). These dimensions remain remarkably
constant despite the condition of the letters. The top-stroke of variants a3-4
is at a lower angle (22 deg.) and the final 0.1mm bends to form a
perpendicular junction with the straight back. The dimensions of a3 are
identical to a2 (bowl-height of 0.6mm,
0.75mm top junction to shoulder-peak), but the base-serif is broad as in a1.
The straight back is usually vertical but appears to lean slightly right in a
small number of samples. a4 appears slightly taller because of a lower bowl
(0.55mm, 0.8mm top junction to shoulder-peak), and the "fishing hook"
base-serif is rather tall (0.55mm). The straight top-stroke curves into the
oval of the bowl to produce a rounded appearance, but not nearly as much
as in the Fell 'a'.
Given the susceptibility of the 'y' to damage, a wide range of
appearances occurs, but just two punches supplied the 'y' sort. Variant y1
exhibits a wider apex angle (42 deg.) than y2 (38 deg.) The lightly stressed
left diagonal accentuates its apparent width. The right diagonal is slightly
longer than in y2 (2.7mm vs 2.65mm) and terminates at the bottom with a
round ball, while the termination of y2 is oval and offset to the left of the
diagonal. Flat top-serifs extend 0.25mm on both sides of the diagonals of
y1; the outside of the left top-serif frequently is bent upward, and both
serifs experience damage and wear which reduces the outside portion (y1:
Essays, Yy1v:15 "your" [2]; MND, B1v:14
"euery"; Poetaster STC14781 [1602], B2:7 "day", 8;
LLL, A3v:9 "say", 11 "day"). The top-serifs of y2 slant
downward and extend 0.3mm on the insides of the diagonals; in new
samples, the left top-serif has a very slight nub outside the diagonal which
is quickly
eradicated (y2: Essays, Yy1v:11 "by"; MND,
B1v:12 "choyce", 13 "boyes"; Poetaster, B2:12 "thy", 13
"my"; LLL, A2v:2, A3:7 "whyle"). Both variants appear
together in most Y-fonts, although y2 seems exclusive in Short-Y.
Miscasting seems responsible for apparent variants of both in which the
letter is rotated counter-clockwise on the apex. Damage to y2 produces an
inward-bowing right diagonal both above and below the baseline.
The variety of appearances in the 'k', unlike most other sorts,
actually indicates a large number of variant letters, all uniform in style with
minor but consistent differences in structure and dimensions. Vulnerability
to normal bending damage is limited to the area of the letter below the link
which connects the arm-leg to the ascender. While other portions of the
letter have relatively broad foundations on the type-body, the counter
enclosed by the leg, link, and foot of the ascender eliminated internal
support so that a "knee" bend frequently occurs in the leg, and the foot
bends inward. Neither element ever bends outward. In contrast, bending
damage is rare in the fineline arm which seems most vulnerable; the
exposed arm-serif, however, normally experiences wear, bending, and
blunting, often being reduced to a dot in old letters and sometimes bent
in-line with the arm.
Three different size ranges occur. The height of the correct-size 'k'
ranges from 2.75-2.85mm, depending upon the condition of triangular
top-serif, which is rounded, blunted, or worn off in older letters.
Anomalous undersized variants probably were cut for smaller faces (about
70mm bare 20-line height) and in most cases ride slightly high and usually
lean slightly right. The sophistication required of a punchcutter in
controlling a letter's printed appearance while working within nearly
identical size parameters is evident in as much as these smaller 'k' always
seem "tiny" despite the fact that the junction
height (0.85mm), the length of the link (0.4-0.45mm), and the extension of
arm and leg (0.85-0.9mm) to the right of the ascender duplicate the
dimensions of correct-size letters. The new "tiny" 'k' at
LLL
A2v:13, for example, exhibits a normal height of 2.85mm, a junction
height of 0.9mm, a medium length (0.5mm) link, and a quite short
(0.35mm) high-angle (52 deg.) arm topped by a massive 0.95mm crescent.
Yet the letter looks tiny amidst S-face letters in White-M, as does another
'k' in Read-S (
Revels, C3v:29 "lookt"). The effect is similar
in
Y-fonts: the small 2.5-2.65mm 'k' variants with 0.8-0.9mm arm-leg
extensions look tiny in Eld-Y1 (
Mal Q2, B2v:7 "looke",
C2:31
"harke"; Q3, H1v:15, H2:21;
Fools, G1v:14 "knocking",
G2v:23 "knowing"), in later White-M (
Fools, C2v:25 "take",
C4:16 "thinke", I1v:17 "drunke"), and Allde-Y1 (
Granados
Deuotions STC 16902 [1598], p. 23:17). The variety of undersized
'k' provide useful discriminants. For
example, an anomalous 'k' with a low-angle arm (42 deg.) and long leg
(0.95mm) which extends a full 1.0mm occurs in late Eld-Y1
(
Fools, H1v:31 "locke") but apparently not in other Y-fonts.
However, caution is required in assuming that a potential 'k' discriminant
is undersized. Old, very worn normal 'k' variants with reduced
height-to-paper and element width, such as those encountered in late
White-M in
Fools (CD, I), generally look like a 2.5-2.65mm
letter even in originals, but measure 2.7-2.8mm at high
magnification.
At the opposite end of the scale, 2.95mm 'k' variants with
correspondingly high (0.95-1.05mm) junctions appear in Y-fonts. The
Braddock-Y1 tall (2.95mm) variant k7 is a scaled-up version of normal
elegant k1 differentiated by a higher junction (0.95-1.0mm), longer link
(0.55mm), shorter (0.55mm) high-angle (48 deg.) arm, and long leg
(1.0mm) which extends beyond the arm (0.9mm vs 1.0mm). The letter as
often rides low and leans right (MND, C4v:8 "makes",
D2:11
"talke") as not (D1:16 "quake", D2:1 "looke") and appears in Read-S
(Revels, I3v:3 "thinke" etc.). The apex of the triangular
top-serif of the tall variants is commonly sheared or blunted and prints with
a flat top. The intermediate stage of the process is evident in the letter at
MND C4v:24 ("skill"), where blunting has flattened the apex
of the triangle and pushed the apex metal into a small spur (0.1mm) on the
right of the ascender. This peculiar form of damage is uncommon in other
'k' variants where
the apex of the top-serif is usually rounded by wear. The effect of newness
on apparent size is obvious when new "elegant" k1 are visually compared
without magnification to the tall variant k7. A new k1 in Braddock-Y2 is
directly beneath a 'p' (Poetaster, D4v:7/8), a setting which
totally eliminates paper-stretch effects and permits an accurate measurement
of the height of 2.8mm. Other samples measure up to 2.9mm (B2:3
"workes", B3v:4 "broken"). A folio prose setting such as
Essays STC18041 apparently reduces overall paper-stretch
since
the new k1 in Eld-Y1 measures 2.75-2.8mm (Yy1v:19 "speake", 27 "talke"
etc.). Furthermore, the new ascender element in both Braddock-Y2 and
Eld-Y1 is wide with distinct edges not yet rounded by beating during
lock-up. The same is true of other new Y-face 'k' variants noted in the
Appendix.
A few simple variants appear in Y-fonts. Short's i3, l2, and t2 are
cast on a narrow body and are left-justified so that the crammed spacing is
obvious in
various combinations of the letters (
R3 Q1, H3v:8 "will",
H3v:13 "it", H4v:4 "vnwillingnes", H4v:10 "enuie", "selfe", H4v:33
"shortlie", H2:24 "left"). The narrow 'i' dots at the tip of the triangular
top-serifs of tall letters. Variants include a normally spaced i1 with high dot
and i2 that dots slightly beneath the top-serif of tall letters
(
Fawne, D1v:15 "vile"). The difference is apparent with crisp
new letters. The left-justified t2 appears also in Field-Y where the
unsuccessful kerning with the 'f' is quite obvious
(
Observations,
A8:16 "after"). Most Y-fonts use the normally justified letters. In general,
the Y-face seems to include relatively few internal variants, suggesting a
closely guarded source of matrices from the seminal set of punches. On the
other hand, it seems probable that the punchcutter responsible for the S-face
cut two sizes in the same style, given the striking correspondence of
stylistic features in the normal b1, d1, h1 and the
slightly larger but otherwise identical b3, d2 and h2; copying by a second
punchcutter seems impossible in this instance.
