Samuel Welo

Samuel Welo was an American advertising calligrapher, typographer, designer and lettering artist whose work appeared in the 1920s.

Based on his lettering, several typefaces have seen the light of day. A partial list:

• P22 Art Deco Chic (2002, James Grieshaber).
• Hamilton (David Nalle, Scriptorium, 1993): a tall, bold display font typical of art nouveau poster lettering and turn-of-the-century advertising design.
• Plakat (David Nalle, Scriptorium, 1993): a rough-edged curly decorative poster face.
• Melcheburn (David Nalle, Scriptorium, 1993): a blackletter face.
• Samuello (Iza W, Intellecta Design, 2007). This type family comes in five styles.
• Mohair Sam (2005, Nick Curtis): the upper case is based on Welo's letters, but the lower case on ATF's Romany Script.
• Pyriform Tones (2007, Nick Curtis): first done by Welo in 1925.
• Welo Script (Font Bureau, 1998): a custom design by FB for Martha Stewart Living Magazine (page disappeared).
• Ekberg (David Nalle).
• Fireside Chat NF (2003, Nick Curtis).
• ITC Photoplay (2002, Nick Curtis): based on lettering from 1927 by Samuel Welo, intended originally for captions of silent movies. It was in Studio Handbook for Artists and Advertisers (1927).
• Grenadier NF (Nick Curtis) is based on Samuel Welo's Modernistic.
• Souci Sans (Nick Curtis) is based on a type design shown in Lettering Modern and Foreign (1930).
• Blue Plate Special (Nick Curtis) is a font family based on a design by Welo shown in Studio Handbook for Artists and Advertisers (1927).
• Herald Square NF (Nick Curtis) is a font family based on a design by Welo shown in Studio Handbook for Artists and Advertisers (1927).
• Magic Lantern NF (Nick Curtis) is a font family based on a design by Welo shown in Studio Handbook for Artists and Advertisers (1927).
• Speedball No 1 NF and Speedball No 2 NF (Nick Curtis) are font families based on a design by Welo shown in Studio Handbook for Artists and Advertisers (1927).
• Washington Square NF (Nick Curtis) is a font based on a design by Welo shown in Studio Handbook for Artists and Advertisers (1927).
• Whoopie Cushion SW (Nick Curtis) is a font family based on a design by Welo shown in Studio Handbook for Artists and Advertisers (1931).
• Mustang Sally and Tugboat Annie (Nick Curtis) are fonts based on a design by Welo shown in Studio Handbook for Artists and Advertisers (1931).

Other alphabet designs: (unnamed, 1928), (unnamed, 1928), Modernistic (1932; I suspect that this was used as a basis foir Samuello by Intellecta Design).

Books by Welo:

• Lettering: Modern and Foreign (1930, Chicago: Frederick J. Drake and Company).
• Practical lettering, modern and foreign (1946).
• Studio Handbook Letter & Design for Artists and Advertisers (1927).
• Trademark and Monogram Suggestions (1937).