Baskerville Research Paper

Type description

Baskerville is a transitional serif typeface (according to the ATypl classification system) created by John Baskerville. As the name implies, a transitional typeface is a typeface that transitions from the Old style typeface to the newer, modern typeface. The characteristics of a transitional typeface are apparent in Baskerville. These characteristics are the apparent contrast between thin and thick strokes, vertical stress in rounded strokes, ascenders matching cap-height, numerals matching cap-height, and a larger x-height compared to old style typefaces . The N in the typeface shows a great contrast in the thin and thick strokes. Each of the hairline strokes of the N is paper-thin but the diagonal stroke of the N is massively

He was a businessman that specialized in Japanning, which is a type of finish based on Asian Lacquerwork.2 At the age of seventeen, Baskerville was a servant of a clergyman, who discovered that Baskerville had excellent penmanship and had him teaching others about writing . Baskerville would later have a very profitable business in japanning and eventually retire as a wealthy man by 1750 . Baskerville would later become interested in typography and by 1757 he would publish one of his most well known works, which was an edition of Virgil. One interesting thing about this book was the paper it was made from, which was wove paper (paper with a very smooth finish). This paper influenced Baskerville’s typeface by giving smoother and sharper strokes to the letters. Baskerville would eventually be hired by Cambridge University and would print works for them throughout 1758. While at Cambridge, he created a folio bible, which is considered to be one of his masterpieces . Benjamin Franklin himself was very fond of Baskerville’s type and decided to bring them back to the United States, which were used for government publishing . Despite making excellent works such as the folio bible, his works were heavily criticized in England but in about 1920, his typeface was revived and is now used commonly around the