Oldrich Menhart

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Oldrich Menhart Czech type designer (b. Prague 1897, d. Prague 1962) who was mainly active at Grafotechna, a state foundry in Prague. Menhart was also an author who wrote about type and its history. After the World War II, he helped the communist party to promote itself. He was the author of fonts celebrating the victory of communism in hand-written manifests. Menhart considered himself foremost as a craftsman, and derived typefaces from calligraphic origins. Author of Nauka o pismu (1954) and Tvorba typografickeho pisma (1957). PDF file of Nauka o Pismu. Veronika Burian on Menhart. FontShop link. Klingspor PDF. Oldrich Menhart's typefaces include Manuskript Antikva (1944-1950, Grafotechna), Manuskript Kursiva (1951, Grafotechna). An angular and slightly irregular typeface with a handwritten feel. Burian places Manuscript Antikva in 1943 and Kursiva in 1946. Digitizations of Manuskript: the five-weight family by Franko Luin (1991) at Omnibus, Menhart Manuscript by Alex V. White, Manuskript Antiqua (URW++, by Ralph M. Unger), and ITC Oldrichium by George Thompson from No Bodoni Typography. Menhart Antiqua and Menhart Kursiva, 1930. Menhart Antiqua was first published by the Bauersche Giesserei in 1932. We also find versions of this garalde set in 1936-1938 at Monotype. See also Grafotechna. Paul Hunt's Junius (2006) is a revival/adaptation of Menhart Antiqua. See also the beautiful revival Menhart Antiqua (2008, Albert Creus). Menhart Roman (1933) and Menhart Italic (1933), published by Lanston Monotype in 1934-1935, and by Bauersche Giesserei in 1939. Bill Horton recreated Menhart-Italic and Menhart-Regular. Alexander W. White revived Menhart Italika [his revivals of Preissig Antikva, Preissig Italika, Menhart Italika and Menhart Manuscript won him awards at the TDC2 2001 competition]. Menhart Latein. Parlament (1950, Czech Government Printing Office). Calligraphic type with lots of individuality and irregularity, first planned to be used for printing the Czech Constitution. Standard Antikva and Kursiva (1959). See also at Grafotechna in 1966. Victory Roman, Medium and Italic, 1942-1943. Published in 1947 at Intertype. An angular text face. Triga Antikva, Kursiva and Medium (1951, published in 1954 at Sluzba Tos, Prague). Calligraphic text type. Ceska Unciala (1944), published in 1949 at Grafotechna. An angular pseudo-Gaelic uncial. Ralph Unger's FontForum Unciala (2005, URW++) is a revival. Figural Romana or Antikva (1940, published in 1949 at Grafotechna), Figural Kursiva or Italika (1948; published in 1949-1950, Grafotechna), Figural Romana (1940). Rather angular lower case letters with several slopes. Michael Gills, under the art direction of Colin Brignall, did Figural (1992) and Prague for Letraset without Grafotechna's permission, and ITC is still selling those fonts now as ITC Figural and ITC Prague. Monotype and Linotype also offer Figural. Figural and Figural Italic were also revived in 2006 by Ari Rafaeli. Grazdanka (1953, Grafotechna), Grazdanka Kursiva (1954, Grafotechna). Manuscript Grazhdanka (cyrillic) was revived in 2006 by Ari Rafaeli. Hollar (1939, at Jaroslav Picku, Prague). Monument (1950-1952, Grafotechna). An almost pen-drawn all-caps outline face. The digital version by Ralph M. Unger is also called Monument (2010, Profonts). Dieter Steffmann has a free revival of Monument in 2002. Vajgar (1961, Tiskarna Straz) View the typefaces related to Oldrich Menhart. See also here.	EXTERNAL LINKS Oldrich Menhart [Designer info] Monotype link Klingspor Museum page MyFonts search Monotype search Fontspring search Google search INTERNAL LINKS Type designers ⦿ Type designers ⦿ Type design in Czechia ⦿ Celtic/Gaelic fonts ⦿ Uncial typefaces ⦿ Books on type design ⦿ Dieter Steffmann ⦿