Family Treasures: Books Part 2

photo of aged hardcover book on handlettering
{a true treasure}

I’m back with another round of family treasures! This weathered brown book had several surprises inside. The content alone was interesting. It is basically an early graphic design “how-to” book on lettering and letter construction.

title page photo
{title page}

photo of interior book pages that show hand lettered alphabet
{alphabets for reference}

I’ve read snippets and it’s so fascinating to see how the terminology has remained the same, but how one manipulates and constructs letterforms has changed drastically with the invention of the computer and design software.

I really didn’t think it strange that Nana would have a lettering book since she is an artist, but then I turned a page and found this:
Lettering Book Surprise

This is a business card of my great-grandfather taped to an inside page. His last name was Dalton and it appears on the lower left corner. I know he was a sign painter and set painter for The Metropolitan Opera in New York City, so just maybe this book was one of his?! I’ll have to ask around in my family to see if any answers can be found. All in all—totally awesome!

Lastly, tucked in a page of the book was this newspaper clipping.

Lettering Book surpise 2
{Rudyard Kipling anyone?}

So Nana or maybe my great-grandfather, saved this printed poem of Rudyard Kipling. It’s a poem he wrote for Armistice Day-a day of remembrance for WWI. Sadly there is not a year date on the clipping. Love that this book is telling a story with its pages and what’s in between them too!

I’ll have another installment of family treasures soon.

Do you have a family treasure you adore?

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