Lettering: objects, examples, practice

This ‘partial history’ of lettering was been traced through objects from the Central Saint Martins Museum & Study Collection and Central Lettering Record (CLR). The museum at the college has grown over a period of 120 years from a teaching collection originally owned by London’s Technical Education Board and housed in Stationer’s Hall near Fleet Street. The collection later came to the Central School of Arts & Crafts (the Central) with the college’s founding principal W R Lethaby. Over the last century the original teaching collection has been augmented by the work of staff, students and alumni of the college.

The Central Lettering Record (CLR) is a collection of images and artefacts about all aspects of lettering which both informs the teaching of typography and is used in the teaching of the subject. In addition to material collected by Nicholas Biddulph (its founder) and Nicolete Gray, the collection also includes photographs by James Mosley and Alan Bartram as well as the current curators Phil Baines & Catherine Dixon.

Both collections are actively used to support teaching, learning and research at the college, and through them it has been possible to offer a view of the development of writing, lettering and type design from Roman lettering, through illuminated manuscripts, incunabula and early printed books to the development of the private presses in the 20th century and the work of type designers such as Johnston and Gill. More recent work by alumni Miles Newlyn and Jeremy Tankard confirm lettering’s long and important legacy for the College, which continues to train designers who shape the industry.

This exhibition has been curated by Professor Phil Baines
in conjunction with staff from the Museum & Study Collection.

Other contributions were made by CSM Museum & Study Collection staff.