Can someone please identify this font? (COURIER de MOLDAVIE)

[Andrei Barbu]

Hi, I found this on first romanian newspaper from Feb/18/1790 and was just wondering what is the font used in this title and body text. Can you help me to identify the origins? Thanks :)

 

 

 

[Andrei Barbu]

I think I found the same font in another newspaper from 1922, in a good quality of print. 

[Kevin Thompson]

I’m afraid they aren’t the same typeface.

Your 1922 sample appears to be Ronaldson, introduced by MacKellar, Smith & Jordan in 1884.

I’ll have to do some work on the other samples in Photoshop to see if I can get a decent enough image to match....

[Kevin Thompson]

The nameplate (Courier de Moldavie)—type and image—is likely one entire hand-engraved block.

The body copy appears to be an early Garamond/Jannon face, but there isn’t enough detail in your samples to pin it down further.

 

[Andrei Barbu]

Thanks Kevin.

[Andrei Barbu]

I think I found the typeface for body text :) Caslon - English Roman

William Caslon's 1734 Specimen sheet.

[Kevin Thompson]

Sorry, not Caslon.

The Rs, Js, and Cs in your sample differ too much from Caslon to be the same face....

[Andrei Barbu]

Check "English Roman" version. Apparently it seems that the characteristics fit.

[Kevin Thompson]

Similar, yes, but I’m still not convinced.

Caslon wasn’t widely used on the continent (England and the American Colonies, yes, Europe, no) in the late 18th century. It’s unlikely that a French language publication would use it in that era.

[Andrei Barbu]

I read that the letters for this print were brought from Poland, and from this point I deduced that the letters were easy to get from England. :(

[Kevin Thompson]

I don’t think it was a case of access, but of politics—England and the continent were at odds during this time, and a French or Francophone publication using an English typeface strikes me as unlikely.

Some history on Polish printing of the era:

https://books.google.com/books?id=sbacAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA474&lpg=PA474&dq=18th+Century+POlish+type+foundries?&source=bl&ots=xYc_GE-9KN&sig=-D3D8-czryRDDDMJmzgc3-Aks_Y&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjYhMWT_d7XAhUP8YMKHau9AMwQ6AEINDAF#v=onepage&q=18th Century POlish type foundries%3F&f=false