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David Shields @19cwt.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Slight imperfections in compositional alignment… Detail of a specimen page from the 1887 _Palmer & Rey’s third revised specimen book and price list of printing material_ showing Wm H Page Wood Type Co border No 193 (and two line and two-and-one-half line samples of Antique Tuscan Extended.

Wood type border with square and star pattern printed in black in on cream uncoated stock.

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David Shields @19cwt.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

Some noodling on the RISO w/ variants of Page & Co’s Gothic Paneled — 1st shown in 1874’s _Specimen of Chromatic Wood Type…_ & patented on 3 March 1874 as US Design Patent 7,230. www.woodtyperesearch.com/chromatic-… #WoodType #TypeSpecimen #TypeDesign #letterforms #typography

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David Shields @19cwt.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

HBD William Thomas Morgans born 2 July 1844! He was one of the dominant producers & innovators of wood type in the US in the late 1870s, as founding partner of the wood type companies Young & Morgans (1876) then Morgans & Wilcox Mfg Co (1880) www.woodtyperesearch.com/william-mo… #WoodType

Numeral 5, set in 50-line Gothic Condensed on back cover of c.1890 Morgans & Wilcox specimen catalog, held in Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University.

Green paper cover with title of 1881 Morgans & Wilcox specimen catalog printed in black ink, held in Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University.

Cream color paper title page of 1882 Morgans & Wilcox specimen catalog printed in black ink, held in Cary Collection, RIT.

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David Shields @19cwt.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

I’ve updated the list of Rob Roy Kelly’s 1964 folio w/ newly located copies www.woodtyperesearch.com. No 5, in a private collection, was Kelly’s personal copy, recently consigned by his daughter. #WoodType #TypeSpecimen #type #typography #LetterForms #NineteenthCentury #Archives #Bibliography

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David Shields @19cwt.bsky.social · 17/05/2025

(Late) springtime in the high desert.

Agave shoot with mountains and cloudy blue sky in background.

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David Shields @19cwt.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

Darius Wells born 26 April 1800 Kingsboro, NY. Invented the router (lateral revolving cutting tool) to make the 1st machine cut #WoodType in 1828. An active abolitionist he ran a station on the underground railroad in Patterson, NJ helping enslaved humans move north to Canada to live as free humans.

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David Shields @19cwt.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

Accidental typographic palimpsests, encountered in Special Collections at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC. ——— #WoodType #letterforms #typography #archives #libraries #collections #bibliography #TypeSpecimen #TypeDesign #TypeHistory #letterpress #type #design #NineteethCentury #Palimpsest

Overlapping typographic forms from 1854 Wells & Webb wood type specimen catalog. Cream colored stock with low contrast tonal value letterforms.

Overlapping typographic forms from 1844 L. Johnson specimen catalog. Cream colored stock with low contrast tonal value letterforms.

Overlapping typographic forms from 1827 George Bruce specimen catalog. Cream colored stock with high contrast tonal value letterforms.

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David Shields @19cwt.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

HBD Henry P Hamilton born 21 Apr 1862 youngest of 3 brothers, worked with older brthr George at _The Detroit Record_ as a printer & then with oldest brthr James at Hamilton & Baker, later Hamilton Mfg Co Credited patents USD37308 & 37309 www.woodtyperesearch.com/hamilton-m… #WoodType

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David Shields @19cwt.bsky.social · 27/12/2024

I’m voting Anne De Marcken’s _It Lasts Forever and Then It’s Gone_ as my favorite read of 2024. It’s a lovely hybrid of genres (speculative fiction, horror, fantasy…) It also won the 2024 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction. Compelling story questioning what it means to be human, impeccably written.

Paperback cover. Black silhouette of crow filled with book title and author name set in a geometric san serif centered on a yellow field.

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David Shields @19cwt.bsky.social · 14/12/2024

Just spending sometime outside with the art in town.

Donald Judd concrete box high contrast shadow against bright blue sky.

Slightly different angle of Donald Judd concrete box high contrast shadow against bright blue sky.

Long shot with Donald Judd concrete box in the distance, bright blue sky.

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David Shields @19cwt.bsky.social · 16/11/2024

Dafi Kühne’s phenomenal follow up to _True Print_ arrived in my post box this morning. Wow wow. _Poster Cult!_ is an excellent addition to any library! (Plus the attention to production detail is just over the top.) #typography #posters #woodtype #letterpress #books

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