“In 1890, William Morris produced the Golden Type for the
Kelmscott Press. In 1893, Joseph W. Phinney designed Jenson
Oldstyle for the Dickinson Typefoundry (American Type Founders),
which was based on Morris’ Golden Type. Both these types were
modeled on the mid-fifteenth-century letters of the Renaissance
printer Nicolas Jenson. In 1977, Colin Brignall redrew
the ATF Jenson series for Letraset, and renamed the design Italia.”
— MyFonts
Letraset catalogs give a 1975 date for the three weights, with a
Medium Condensed (not digital) added in 1979. The Letraset version
was announced in 1976, see U&lc Vol. 3 No. 1 and 2.
Licensed to ITC in 1977 [U&lc More…
“In 1890, William Morris produced the Golden Type for the Kelmscott Press. In 1893, Joseph W. Phinney designed Jenson Oldstyle for the Dickinson Typefoundry (American Type Founders), which was based on Morris’ Golden Type. Both these types were modeled on the mid-fifteenth-century letters of the Renaissance printer Nicolas Jenson. In 1977, Colin Brignall redrew the ATF Jenson series for Letraset, and renamed the design Italia.” — MyFonts
Letraset catalogs give a 1975 date for the three weights, with a Medium Condensed (not digital) added in 1979. The Letraset version was announced in 1976, see U&lc Vol. 3 No. 1 and 2. Licensed to ITC in 1977 [U&lc Vol. 4 No. 1].
