Mathieu Lommen

Oude Kerk, Amsterdam: coat of arms panel.

The ATypI book that Peter Verheul and I made in 1996 doesn’t seem to be very sought after: just €2 at the Amsterdam Spui book market.

Alphabet for technical drawings (detail), 1930s? This blueprint featuring an alphabet was found loose in a post-war lettering book. On the reverse, there is a note stating that it was for the recipient’s personal use only.

Anton Kurvers (1889-1940), original drawing for bookcover, 1926. Kurvers was one of the well-known representatives of the so-called Amsterdam School, a Dutch Art Deco variant. Coll. Anton Kurvers Archive, Allard Pierson, UvA.
#antonkurvers

Gerrit Noordzij, Hattem, 2008: the Johan Cruijff among type designers would have turned 95 on April 2.

I’m planning to give a (free) presentation of type specimens and lettering books at the Allard Pierson next month - on a weekday for a small group (8 people). Let me know if you’re interested.

For friends of Letterspace Amsterdam: presentation of early writing books and type specimens, particularly with large display letters (in wood) - @allardpierson. Thanks to Celine Jouandet for organizing.

“Book Manifest” by Irma Boom is now ready to be shipped to Japan! The volume, comprising no fewer than 1,500 pages on lBO India paper, accompanies her exhibition at Atelier Muji (Tokyo), which opens on June 5.

Flat ornamentation was also typical of Art Nouveau lettering (work on an article about this). The example below is taken from a 1904 lettering portfolio, published by the Rotterdam-based company Van der Burg.

Spotted at the book market: a 1939 lettering design by Helmut Salden (1910–96) from his New Typography period.

Anton Kurvers (1889-1940), original drawing for logo, 1934. Kurvers was one of the well-known representatives of the so-called Amsterdam School, a Dutch Art Deco variant. Anton Kurvers Archive, @allardpierson, UvA.

#antonkurvers #amsterdamseschool

1870s, German chromolithographic lettering book for the international market. You rarely see them more elaborate.

1910, 3rd ed.: Lewis F. Day: geometric, rectangular letters have been around for some time.

c. 1885, cheap Dutch lithographically printed booklet with alphabets for lettering. Incomplete copy without bibliographic details.

Today in my hands: 1868, pre-Art Nouveau - a "medieval" detail from Owen Jones' folio edition of "The Grammar of Ornament".

Calligrapher Lieven van Coppenol by Rembrandt; original work by Coppenol on display tomorrow at a presentation for Letterspace. At the Allard Pierson.

Jonghwan Jeong, artist, at the KunstRAI.

Stenso, 1966: found this Canadian folder with letter stencils by chance at a book market.

Peter Verheul, 2025: still delighted with this glass engraved by him. It was given to me when I left the UvA.

My 'Quærendo'-article 'Theosophy and Lettering' will soon appear as an A4 booklet for colleagues and friends, aptly designed by @sander@typo.social Pinkse and partly set in @nicksherman@typo.social's Lauweriks font (@HEX@typo.social Projects).

On Klaas van Leeuwen’s 'Letterboek voor den teekenaar en ambachtsman', 1907.

#dutchlettering #artnouveau #mathieulauweriks #geometrictype #signpainting #handlettering #hexprojects

Amsterdam had its own, rational Art Nouveau variant. This was fueled by the theosophical movement then in vogue. Designer-architect Mathieu Lauweriks was a leading representative. Klaas van Leeuwen also moved in these circles. I wrote an article on his 1907 "Letterboek"; it was recently published open access in "Quærendo" (link below). There will be a small edition brochure soon, partly set in @HEX@typo.social Lauweriks.
https://brill.com/view/journals/qua/55/2/article-p141_3.xml

#letteringbooks #lettering

In 19th-century lettering model books, stylistically a great deal was possible, as can be seen in this lithographic French one.