Figure 207
Sale-Specimen of Elzevir Types: Amsterdam
From facsimile in Willem’s Les Elzevier (facsimile, 1880)
1681
In a letter written from Amsterdam in 1681 by the widow of Daniel Elzevir to all the widow of Moretus, at Antwerp, we learn that the writer wished to dispose of part of the type-foundry inherited from her husband, Daniel Elzevir, which had descended in turn from Louis Elzevir. Some of its material was the work of Chirstoffel van Dyck, the great Dutch designer and type-cutter.…With this letter she sent a broadside specimen-sheet which is reproduced…
This broadside shows forty sorts of characters, if we include two music fonts. There are four kinds of capital letters, thirteen roman, twelve italic (the “pearl” not having any italic of its own), eight black-letter, one Greek, and two music fonts. Most of these types are recognizable as Dutch by their sturdy qualities of workmanship, and, particularly in the smaller sizes of roman and italic, by a tiresome evenness of design.