Washington, D.C. / September 17

On Thursday, September 17th, APHA Chesapeake Chapter members enjoyed a presentation given by Amelia Hugill-Fontanel, assistant curator in the Cary Graphic Arts Collection at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), entitled “Design & Beauty in Printing: Celebrating the Frederic W. Goudy Sesquicentennial.” The talk covered Goudy and his work, the activities at RIT marking the 150th anniversary of Goudy’s birth, and Goudy’s connections to RIT’s Cary collection. Amelia’s current mantra is “All Goudy, all the time.”

The presentation was held at the Government Publishing Office (GPO, the federal agency formerly known as the Government Printing Office) and began with the head of the GPO, Davita Vance-Cooks, and members of her senior management staff, welcoming and introducing themselves to our group.

Per the RIT website, “The Cary Collection is one of the country’s premier libraries on graphic communication history and practices.The original collection of 2,300 volumes was assembled by the New York City businessman Melbert B. Cary, Jr. during the 1920s and 1930s. Cary was director of Continental Type Founders Association (a type-importing agency), a former president of the American Institute of Graphic Arts, and proprietor of the private Press of the Woolly Whale. In 1969, the Cary Collection was presented to RIT by the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust as a memorial to Mr. Cary.” The collection has continued to grow to approximately 40,000 volumes today.

During her talk Amelia related that Goudy worked to understand typefaces of the past so that he could apply those principles to his own typeface designs. Also, at his home and workshop, which he named Deepdene, Goudy not only designed type but also took part in all aspects of type production, from fabricating matrices to casting the type. Goudy and Cary not only knew each other, but were also friends.

In late 2013 the Cary Collection acquired the Kelmscott/Goudy albion hand press. This press originally belonged to William Morris, the founder of the modern fine press movement in England. In 1924 Goudy imported it to the United States. Later Cary purchased the press and in 1960 the press became the possession of J. Ben Lieberman, one of the founders of APHA. Amelia described and showed pictures of her restoration of the press after it was delivered to RIT, which not only included cleaning and lubricating but also the fabrication of broken or missing parts by RIT’s mechanical engineering school.

From the time RIT acquired the Cary Collection an important aspect was its use as a resource for students, especially those in RIT’s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences. Today several courses actually meet in the library. Amelia demonstrated an iPad app designed as a student project for the Goudy Sesquicentennial. (Free at the Apple App Store.)

Amelia also showed examples of work produced by fine press printers for the Goudy 150th keepsake exchange. The pieces produced by these printers will be gathered into a portfolio.

We would like to thank Amelia for her vibrant presentation and GPO for allowing us to gather in their exhibit space.  

A few photos from the day.

Amelia gave us a visual tour of some of RIT’s Carey Collection

The day was centered around the life of Frederic Goudy as we enjoy his sesquicentennial.

It looks like our group got the joke.

The talk was held in a room housing a visual history of the Government Printing Office which has recently changed its name to the Government Publishing Office.

Chapter member Jim Wilder discusses some thoughts.

Chapter members Chris Manson (left), Chris Sweterlitsch (back), and Casey Smith.

The Director and others, welcomed us to the GPO and wanted a group photo for their website.

The Lead Graffiti contingency drifted over to the Rare Book Reading Room to show our friend Steve some books we had been talking about in the studio – The Book of Trades and two books by the British letterpress printer Ken Campbell.

Above is the slipcase for The Book of Trades.

Jill looking through the wonderful book.

Steve capturing an image of Campbell’s Ten Years in Ubekestan

And when we are with a new visitor to the Library of Congress we have to introduce them to the atrium and the Gutenberg Bible.

Just a pleasant day all around.