Santa Claus Initials, Petzendorfer c1903

This specimen was published in Petzendorfer's Schriftenatlas of c1903.*

 

*c1903 Petzendorfer, L. (Editor): Schriftenatlas Neue Folge|Eine Sammlung von Alphabeten Initialen und Monogrammen Zusam-men-ges-tellt, plate 24. Julius Hoffmann, Stuttgart. Reprinted as Treasury of Art Nouveau Alphabets, Decorative Initials, Monograms, Frames and Ornaments: Dover Publications, Inc. (Minneola, NY 1984).

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This irresistible “fun face” was introduced by Central TF in the December 1885 edition of The Inland Printer. A “patent pending” notice was displayed in at least one commercial specimen;¹ no such patent exists and none was claimed in the post-ATF catalog issued by the Central/Boston TFs in 1892.

 

According to policies of the US Patent and Trademark Office in effect at the time, Santa Claus was positively “new and novel” and absolutely worthy of a design patent. Even so, no approved applications for design patents were filed by Central executives nor assigned by others after 1886. Apparently this notice was of the "beware of the (non-existent) dog" variety.

 

The designer is unknown. William E. Loy does not account for Santa Claus in his biographies of Gustave F. Schroeder nor Nicholas J. Werner, Central's staff type designers/punch-cutters until 1889, when they partnered an independent business. In 1891, Schroeder moved to California; he and Werner continued to contract design commissions from Central and other clients.²

 

This letterpress typeface has not been digitally archived for posterity. Good-to-excellent working specimens of the previews shown are available to revival developers: forums.typeheritage.com/topic/santaclaus/

 

More about Santa Claus: forums.typeheritage.com/topic/santaclaus/

More Cool Undigitized Fonts: forums.typeheritage.com/undigitized/

More digital revivals facilitated by The Type Heritage Project: forums.typeheritage.com/status/

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¹Mullen, R.A. (2005): Recasting A Craft|St. Louis Typefounders Respond To Industrialization, page 139. Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale.

²Loy, W.E. (1898–1900): Designers and Engravers of Type. In The Inland Printer, December 1898 (Schroeder) and August 1899 (Werner).

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