“Forget copyrights or trademarks: LaPolice revives the first
important hack in the history of typography. Its creator, Mathieu
Malherbe Des Portes, simply copied Louis XIV’s celebrated Romain du
Roi. And what did the police do? Nothing. [Cf. James Mosley’s
comment on
Typophile] Malherbe, the sole hallmark punch cutter of all of
Paris proper, had in fact trained Phillippe Granjean, the engraver
of the font Romain du Roi. Malherbe’s version carries all of the
unique characteristics of the Romain du Roi, such as the new
horizontal serifs, sometimes doubled, and the secant l. LaPolice is
rounder and more dynamic than its original model — it is also more
modern and ‘organic’. LaPolice is named after a document entitled
‘Traité de la Police’ (‘A draft of the font’). François Rappo
designed the revival of LaPolice after the original More…
“Forget copyrights or trademarks: LaPolice revives the first important hack in the history of typography. Its creator, Mathieu Malherbe Des Portes, simply copied Louis XIV’s celebrated Romain du Roi. And what did the police do? Nothing. [Cf. James Mosley’s comment on Typophile] Malherbe, the sole hallmark punch cutter of all of Paris proper, had in fact trained Phillippe Granjean, the engraver of the font Romain du Roi. Malherbe’s version carries all of the unique characteristics of the Romain du Roi, such as the new horizontal serifs, sometimes doubled, and the secant l. LaPolice is rounder and more dynamic than its original model — it is also more modern and ‘organic’. LaPolice is named after a document entitled ‘Traité de la Police’ (‘A draft of the font’). François Rappo designed the revival of LaPolice after the original specimens from Claude Lamelse’s foundry in Paris (1742). LaPolice is a contemporary font, dynamic in its balance, with a touch of irony in its references to historic details.” — b+p Swiss Typefaces
LaPolice BP is no longer available. Their SangBleu OG Serif is a related design.
