The printed letter

History of typography

The history of typography begins with Gutenberg's first types, which imitated the blackletter of manuscripts. In Italy printers adopted the clearer roman letter, and in 1501 Aldus Manutius published books in italic type.

From then on punchcutters and typefounders such as Garamond, Caslon, Baskerville and Bodoni created typefaces still in use. In the 19th century advertising demanded larger, more striking letters, and wood type and display faces appeared.

In Mexico, print shops imported type from Europe and the United States and combined it with vignettes, borders and ornaments. The popular prints of the Porfiriato are a sampler of that mix.

At the MUNAG you can see metal type with letters and ornaments, and the prints made with them.