Typography Tuesday
ANNA SIMONS and WILLY WIEGAND
Here are some calligraphic initials by the German calligrapher and type designer Anna Simons (1871–1951), pared with a proprietary typeface designed by German type designer and fine press publisher Willy Wiegand (1884-1961) for his Bremer Presse. From 1918 to 1934, Simons designed over 1400 initials and titles the press. Weigand himself designed the typeface used for the press, known today as Bremer Antiqua, designed in 1911. The typeface was cut by Louis Hoell and cast at the Bauer type foundry, and is based on the fonts of incunabula printers Adolf Rusch and Johann and Wendelin de Spira.
The examples shown here are from an Italian edition of Dante's La Divina Commedia printed in Munich at the Bremer Presse in 1921. Every initial designed for this book by Simons is unique, as can be seen here in the examples of A, P, and Q. Our copy is a gift from our late friend Jerry Buff (1931-2025).
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