Die Ernst-Ludwigs-Heilanstalt by Hermann Lossen
In some regards, Habsburg could pass as the wide companion style to Radium. In fact, it precedes the Ludwig & Mayer release by a year or two: Habsburg was designed by Heinz Keune and first cast by Schelter & Giesecke in 1903. The Leipzig-based foundry also offered a narrower style named Wittelsbach, and a bolder variant, Wallenstein.
Here it can be seen on the first pages of a book about a sanatorium in Darmstadt, Germany, with contributions to the application of physical healing methods by Hermann Lossen. Established in 1898 as Darmstädter mechano-therapeutische Anstalt, it was named after Ernst Ludwig, the last Grand Duke of Hesse, in 1905, the year the book came out. Printed by the Joh. Conr. Herbert’sche Hofbuchdruckerei (Fr. Herbert), Die Ernst-Ludwigs-Heilanstalt was published by G.L. Schlapp.
The subtitle is set in Gebr. Klingspor’s contribution to the Romana/De Vinne genre. The first styles of this family named Reform were cut in 1900 at the company that at the time still went under the name Rudhard’sche Gießerei, in nearby Offenbach. The author’s name appears to be set in Mediäval-Egyptienne – either Schelter & Giesecke’s or Bauer’s cut. Both are closely related to Bookman, and appear to be based on one of its precursors, cf. Old Style Antique No. 7.
The third image shows a page that reads (translated):
Dedicated in deepest reverence to His Royal Highness Ernst Ludwig Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, the ever-ready patron and promoter of the arts and sciences.
In 1899, Ernst Ludwig founded the Darmstadt Artists’ Colony at Mathildenhöhe. Among its members was typographer and type designer Friedrich W. Kleukens. Together with his brother Christian Heinrich Kleukens, he ran the Ernst-Ludwig-Presse, one of the first German private presses. Note Habsburg’s ch ligature, which looks a little like a pitchfork (⋔), or an upside-down Greek letter Psi (Ψ).
Title page
Dedication
1 Comment on “Die Ernst-Ludwigs-Heilanstalt by Hermann Lossen”
K. sent me an email, wondering if this really is Habsburg, since the H doesn’t match the one seen in the typeface sample. Good catch – I didn’t comment on that in the post.
Habsburg came with a number of extras, one of them being two forms for this letter. This sample from a 1912 specimen shows both of them. The one with the enlarged minuscule form follows the construction as seen in many blackletter designs.
About two years ago, Oliver Weiss made a digital revival of Habsburg (as well as of Wittelsbach and Wallenstein) and released it as part of Walden Font Co.’s Art Nouveau Print Shop Vol. 1. Being a stickler for details, Oliver included both forms for H, as well as a capital eszett (ẞ), compact umlauts, ligatures, and many other things in his WF Habsburg.