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Fundicion Tipografica Richard Gans [Richard Gans]

The Richard Gans Foundry is a defunct Spanish foundry which existed from 1888-1975. Richard Gans was the son of a medic from Karlsbad, Austria. He emigrated to Spain in 1874, and died in 1925. Until 1936 the foundry was led by Mauricio Wiesenthal, but in 1936, his children, Ricardo, Manuel and Amalia Gans Gimeno, now adults, took over. Ricardo and Manuel were assassinated during the Civil War. The foundry was used to make ammunition, and after the war, Amalia Gans and then Reinaldo Leger Tittel started anew in run-down buildings. The foundry operated roughly from 1881-1975. Throughout its existence, types were designed by a number of people from within and outside the foundry. Designers included José Ausejo Matute (d. 1998), Antonio Bilbao (who created Escorial in 1960), the son Ricardo Gans, and Carl Winkow. In the post-war era, Reinaldo Leger and Amalia Garcia Gans made typographic decisions on which types to produce, and acted as typographic directors. Richard Gans' grandson, José Antonio Gans García, is still alive today. Manuel Lage informed me in 2017 that he has inherited the Richard Gans collection.

Six specimen books were published with titles like Fundicion Richard Gans Muestrario Edicion V. The first and second editions, rare books indeed, were published between 1883 and 1903. Editions 3 through 6 appeared in the period 1903-1922. The 1922 edition is here in its entirety (thanks to J.R. Penela). See also here. In 1965, a small catalog was published under the name Tipos Gans. The National Library in Madrid has Muestrario de Richard Gans (Madrid, Richard Gans, 1903, 410 pages) and Catalogo provisional (Madrid, 1950).

On the web, the most complete discussion of Richard Gans is in the PDF file Fundicion Tipografica Richard Gans Historia y Actividad 1888-1975 (2004) by Dimas García Moreno and José Ramón Penela.

Catalog of font names.

Fonts: Until 1925, there were basically no original types. Almost everything in the specimen books of that era is due to German foundries, principally those of Wilhelm Woellmer in Berlin and Edmund Koch in Magdeburg. Some of those typefaces in common with Koch include Grotesca Chupada Redonda, Ronda Universal. Early types in this category also include Escritura Selecta, Escritura Favorita, Escritura Luis XV (it is being digitally revived by Manuel Lage), Gótico Globo (blackletter), Gótico Uncial (blackletter), Nueva Titular Adornada, Tipos de Adorno, Latina Moderna, Grotesca Ancha, Grotesca and Grotesca Chupada. Many, if not most of these, saw the light at the end of the 19th century and survived until 1965.

It is fashionable now to revive all the typefaces. Nick Curtis created a few (see below), and Paulo W (Intellecta Design, Brazil) did many more. Intellecta Designs revivals include Gans Tipo Adorno, Gans Lath Modern, Gans Titular Adornada, Gans Ibarra, Gans Antigua, Gans Antigua Manuscrito, Gans Fulgor, Gans Radio Lumina, Gans Carmem Adornada, Gans Animals, Gans Italiana, and Gans Titania.

The original Gans types can be categorized as follows:

• Aldine.
• Anchas Americanas.
• Antigua El Greco (+Adornada, Cursiva, Negro, Negro Cursiva, Seminegro, Seminegro Cursiva, Titular), aka El Greco Antique. Weights include Antigua El Greco (1924), El Greco Adornado Titular (with Mexican-style sawteeth). Greco was the inspiration for Melina BT (Nick Curtis, 2003). Curtis' Melina Fancy is based on Greco Adornado. For a free version of Adornado, see GrekoDeco (1992, Dave Fabik). Revived as Kifisia Antigua NF in 2005 by Nick Curtis.
• Antigua. See the digital family Gans Antigua (2006, Paulo W). The Antigua series includes weights like Esbelta, Estrecha, Heraldo, Heraldo Cursiva, I, I Cursiva, I Titular, Mercantil, Negra, Prolongada, Universal, Universal Cursiva, Universal Negra, Universal Negra Cursiva, Universal Negra Estrecha, Universal Seminegra, Veneciana, Veneciana Cursiva, Veneciana Cursiva Fantasia.
• Antigua Manuscrito: a semiscript typeface designed by Hermann Delitsch at the Royal Academy of Graphic Arts in Leipzig. Delitsch was Tschichold's teacher. Digitized as a family by Paulo W as Gans Antigua Manuscrito (2006).
• Antigua Progreso (1923) (+Cursiva, Negra): an interesting serif face. A digital version called Bellini was made by A. Pat Hickson, 1992. Linotype sells Greco (DsgnHaus, 1996) which really is Progreso.
• Arabe.
• Atlántida.
• Azures.
• Bodoni and Bodoni Redonda.
• Carmen, Carmen Adornada, Velázquez, Españolas Adornadas, Antigua Adornada, Utopian, Tipos de Adorno, Americanas (Tuscan style), Americanas-Titular, Elzevirianas Adornadas: Late 19-th century style display typefaces. Paulo W (Intellecta Design) created the beautiful digital family Gans Tipo Adorno (2006). He also made the family Gans Titular Adornada (2006).
• Cartel.
• Cursiva Comercial.
• Dalia (or Ibarra Vaciada): a two-line display face. Similar to Delphian Open Titling (Middleton, Ludlow, 1928).
• Decorativa. Digitally revived by Manuel Lage as Decorativa RGf in 2017 and Volvoreta RG LG in 2021.
• Egipcia in weights called Estrecha, Negra and Nueva, ca. 1923; Egipcia Progreso (1923). The serifs are Venetian, heavy and oblique in the lower case. The ascenders and descenders are short and the strokes have almost no contrast, giving the typeface a stocky appearance. The e has a diagonal Venetian stroke, while the tail of the g is open.
• Elzeviriano: Anchas, Adornado, B, B Cursiva, Chupado, Ibarra, Ibarra Cursiva, Ibarra Titular, Negro.
• Escorial: a display typeface with Koch Antiqua influences, designed ca. 1960 by Antonio Bilbao. Additional weights include Cursiva, Seminegra and Titular. It is being digitally revived by Manuel Lage.
• Escritura Juventud (1950, Joan Trochut Blanchard): a great script with lots of identity and swing. Other Escritura styles: Decorativa (Manuel Lage is working on a digital revival), Gloria reformada, Isabel, Luis XV, Selecta.
• Espanolas.
• Etienne Ancha.
• Filetes de Bronce, Filetes de Metal.
• Fulgor (1930): a connected script face.
• Gacela.
• Galeria Coruna. Revived by Manuel Lage in 2008 as Galeria Coruna LG. In 2017 Lage was working on a further refinement of this typeface.
• Gaviota.
• Gloria (already listed above under Escritura), Gloria Reformada (1930): a connected script family. Gloria was revived by Nick Curtis in 2005 as Pismo Clambake NF.
• Gótico Cervantes (1928): blackletter with regular and ornamental caps.
• Gótico Globo: art nouveau style with blackletter influences. Revived by Intellecta Design in 2007.
• Gótico Uncial (blackletter).
• Graciosa (+Gris).
• Griego.
• Grotesca Ancha (+Fina, Negra, Nueva, Vaciada).
• Grotesca Antigua.
• Grotesca Chupada and Grotesca Chupada Redonda: a rounded sans.
• Grotesca Colón.
• Grotesca Compacta.
• Grotesca Cursiva (+Seminegra).
• Grotesca Estrecha Hercules.
• Grotesca Mercantil, Grotesca Mercurio, Grotesca Negra Cursiva.
• Grotesca Ideal (Negra, Fina, Entrelina), Grotesca Favorita, Grotesca Reformada.
• Grotesca Radio: a geometric no-contrast sans. Styles: Editorial, Estrecha Fina, Estrecha Negra, Fina, Fina Cursiva, Negra, Negra Cursiva, Seminegra, Seminegra Cursiva. For a revival and reinterpretation, see Radar (2019) by Marta Sanchez Marco for Type-o-Tones.
• Helenica (+Ancha, Ancha Negra, Ancha Seminegra, Cursiva, Seminegra).
• Ibarra (1931) and Ibarra Cursiva: a tall ascender garalde family. Ibarra Negra, Ibarra Negra estrecha, Ibarra Vaciada, Ibarra Redonda. See also under Elzeviriano above. Iniciales Ibarra.
• Imán: a shadow headline all-caps face. This was digitally revived in an authoritative way by Manuel Lage in 2016 as Iman RG.
• Inglesa Excelsior.
• Italiana (Cursiva, Titular), 1951, a black caps face. Italienne (Chupada, Moderna).
• Luxor (+Cursiva, Negro, Negro Estrecho).
• Manos (manicules, fists).
• Maquina de Escrebir.
• Maruxa. Manuel Lage is working on a digital version of this script type.
• Normanda (Ancha Negra, estrecha Negra).
• Nueva Antigua No. 1 and No. 2. Nuevas Titulares Adornadas.
• Orlas de Linea.
• Preciosa: Showboat-style Western look.
• Primavera: a condensed sans. Paulo W digitized a condensed family called Gans Lath Modern (2006). See also the extension Primavera (2016, Manuel Lage).
• Radio Bicolor: a headline sans family.
• Radio Gris. Scans of the Radio catalog of 1930.
• Radio Lumina: a display sans. Digitized as Gans Radio Lumina (2006) by Paulo W at Intellecta Design.
• Regina (+Estrecha), Helios, Vulcano (1920s): art nouveau style. Ludlow's Vulcan Bold is based on Vulcano.
• Renacimiento Ancha.
• Romana I (+Cursiva, Egipcia, Estrecha, Negra).
• Royalty.
• Senefelder: engraved look all caps.
• Talla Dulce (+Cursiva).
• Tipo Sombreado, Tipos Adornados, Tipos de Texto.
• Titania (1933): an elegant two-line poster face. See the revival (2006, Nick Curtis).
• Veneziana Negra.

showcase-gans/">View the digital revivals of typefaces by Gans.

EXTERNAL LINKS
Fundicion Tipografica Richard Gans
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INTERNAL LINKS
The Spanish type scene ⦿ Extinct 20th century foundries ⦿ Art Nouveau typefaces ⦿ Fists, pointing hands ⦿ Nick Curtis ⦿ Typefaces related to radio ⦿ Modern style [Bodoni, Didot, Walbaum, Thorowgood, Computer Modern, etc.] ⦿ Uncial typefaces ⦿ Dingbats (original) ⦿ Elzevir ⦿ Tuscan fonts ⦿