William Caslon
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William Caslon (1692–1766) was an English gunsmith and designer of typographic fonts.
He was born at Cradley, Worcestershire, and in 1716 started business in London as an engraver of gun locks and barrels, and as a bookbinder's tool cutter. Being thus brought into contact with printers, he was induced to fit up a type foundry, largely through the encouragement of William Bowyer. The distinction and legibility of his type secured him the patronage of the leading printers of the day in England and on the continent.
His typefaces were influenced by Dutch types then common in England. His work influenced John Baskerville and are thus the progenitors of Transitional types, which in turn led to Modern types.
Caslon typefaces were very popular and used for many important printed works, including the first printed version of the Declaration of Independence. They fell out of favour in the century after his death, but were revived in the 1840s, and Caslon-inspired typefaces are still widely used today.
See also
- His typeface, Caslon
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