Initially conceived at Hollenstein Phototypo as all-caps face in 1961 and later augmented by a lowercase at the request of Gerard Blanchard. [Corpus typographique français] Shown by Photo-Lettering in 1964 as Hollenstein Eras [PLINC 1964]. Shown in Hollenstein’s catalog from 1974 in a single light weight with lowercase. An expanded version in five weights plus Outline and Contour styles was released by ITC in 1976.

“The slight forward slant and subtle variations in stroke weights make ITC Eras a sans serif with unusual style. It has been called “a new, humanized Gothic.’ … French designer, Albert Boton, created ITC Eras in collaboration with the late Albert Hollenstein, also of France. Mr. Hollenstein’s death came more than a year before all the weights of ITC Eras were completed.” — U&lc, Vol. 3, No. 3

“In the late 1950s, Boton and Hollenstein collaborated on a type design that eventually became a face called Basilea [Brasilia?]. Some time after Basilea was released, Hollenstein saw the initial sketches for the design and encouraged Boton to develop the serifless version. The face was completed in the late 1960s and was used primarily as a display face for Studio Hollenstein, Albert Hollenstein’s phototypesetting and design company. In the early 1970s, Aaron Burns saw Eras and was immediately taken with the face. He encouraged Boton and Hollenstein to enlarge the limited character complement and create additional weights for the design.” — Fonts.com