Nº 130.
The mid-1800s were early days for sans-serif. Like most other type makers, Will & Schumacher were still figuring the genre out, and their specimen preserves these pioneering forms. A few letters feel too wide or narrow, some are wonky, and most have minimal optical correction and overshoots.⁵ Scattered throughout the specimen are 7 groups of sans-serifs. It opens with a well-made rounded sans,
Nº 1-10,⁶ but with some occasional irregular sharp corners. An early ancestor of the DIN lineage,
Nº 29-51 are bold, mechanical and surprisingly contemporary.⁷
Nº 81–84 are similar, but further condensed.⁸ The strict verticality is relaxed in
Nº 85–91 and closer to what we now consider a “regular” weight.⁹