Joseph Warren Phinney (1848–1934) was an American printer,

type designer Type design is the art and process of designing typefaces. This involves drawing each letterform using a consistent style. The basic concepts and design variables are described below. A typeface differs from other modes of graphic production su ...

, and business executive. Phinney began his career at the Dickinson Type Foundry in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

where he designed type and worked in management, eventually becoming owner. He was a key player in arranging the merger of twenty-six large foundries to form the American Type Founders Company in 1892, becoming both manager of the Boston branch and head of the design department, where he oversaw the consolidation of type faces following the merger. Though his own designs were largely derivative, Phinney took a great interest in type and its history and throughout his tenure at A.T.F. he sought to preserve and protect that company's legacy, as for instance, when he oversaw the re-introduction of

Binny & Ronaldson Binny & Ronaldson established the first permanent type foundry in the United States. Founded in Philadelphia in 1796 by the Scottish people, Scot Archibald Binny (1762/3–1838) and James Ronaldson (1769–1841). History Archibald Binny, of Scot ...

's 1796 type design, ''Roman No. 1,'' as ''Oxford'' in 1892, or when he purchased Frederick W. Goudy's first type design, ''Camelot,'' in 1896.MacGrew, pp. 243 and 57. He stayed with A.T.F. for the rest of his career, passing the role of design head to

Morris Fuller Benton Morris Fuller Benton (November 30, 1872 – June 30, 1948) was an American typeface designer who headed the design department of the American Type Founders (ATF), for which he was the chief type designer from 1900 to 1937. Many of Benton's ...

and becoming senior vice-president. Phinney retired shortly before the company fell upon hard times during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

and died in 1934.

Typefaces designed Joseph W. Phinney

In addition to many faces cut for the Dickinson Type Foundry, Phinney also cut these faces cast by

American Type Founders American Type Founders (ATF) Co. was a business trust created in 1892 by the merger of 23 type foundries, representing about 85 percent of all type manufactured in the United States at the time. De Vinne, Theodore Low, ''The Practice of Typogr ...

. * Jenson Series ** ''Jenson Oldstyle + italic'' (1893), based on William Morris's "

Golden Type The Golden Type is a serif typeface designed by artist William Morris for his fine book printing project, the Kelmscott Press, in 1890. It is an "old-style" serif face, based on type designed by engraver and printer Nicolas Jenson in Venice aroun ...

", matrices cut by John F. Cumming from drawings by Phinney. ** ''Jenson Heavyface'' (1899) ** ''Jenson Condensed + Bold Condensed'' (1901) * Bradley Text (1895), developed from

Will H. Bradley William Henry Bradley (July 10, 1868 – January 25, 1962) was an American Art Nouveau illustrator, artist and film director. Nicknamed the "Dean of American Designers" by ''The Saturday Evening Post'', he was the highest-paid American artist ...

's lettering on the Christmas cover of Inland Printer Magazine by either Phinney or (more probably) Herman Ihlenberg. * Satanick (1896), based on

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was an English textile designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditiona ...

's ''Troy'' and ''Chaucer'', matrices cut by John F. Cumming from drawings by Phinney. * Taylor Gothic (1897), capitals only, lower-case based on Central Type Foundry of St. Louis' ''Quentell''. Later re-worked by either

or Goudy as ''Globe Gothic.'' * Devens Script (1898) * Touraine Oldstyle Italic (1898) * Lower-case letters for Goudy's Camelot (1900) * Abbott Oldstyle (1901) * Engravers' Old English (1901), usually credited to Benton. * Flemish Black (1902) An adaptation of ''Priory Text,'' an 1870s version of

William Caslon William Caslon I (1692/93 – 23 January 1766), also known as William Caslon the Elder, Mosley, 2008 was an English typefounder. The distinction and legibility of his type secured him the patronage of the leading printers of the day in England ...

’s ''Caslon Text'' of 1734. * Cheltenham Oldstyle + italic (1902), developed from

Bertram Goodhue Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue (April 28, 1869 – April 23, 1924) was an American architect celebrated for his work in Gothic Revival architecture, Gothic Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, Spanish Colonial Revival design. He also d ...

's architectural lettering by either Phinney or Benton. * Cloister Black (1904), lower-case identical to ''Flemish Black,'' capitals usually credited to Benton.

References

* MacGrew, Mac, ''American Metal Typefaces of the Twentieth Century,'' Oak Knoll Books, New Castle Delaware, 1993, . {{DEFAULTSORT:Phinney, Joseph W. American typographers and type designers 1848 births 1934 deaths American printers People from Nantucket, Massachusetts