French Antique

10 Line

Box 034

Antique | Egyptian | Uppercase, Lowercase & Figures

  • This type measures 10 line in size and was produced with the end-cut method. The type block does not have a manufacturer’s stamp.
  • This face was first shown as wood type by William H. Page in James Conner’s Sons Typographic Messenger, Vol.4 No.4 (July, 1869).
  • This cut of French Antique was shown in American Wood Type on page 255 and in the folio on page 8.

Type name used by manufacturer:
Hamilton French Antique or No 55
Morgans & Wilcox French Antique [3000]
National Printers’ Materials French Clarendon Condensed
Page French Antique [4055]
Tubbs French Antique or No 2031
Wells French Antique [5000]

This is the Morgan & Wilcox cut.

Kelly notes that this is a peculiarly American interpretation of French Antique, more condensed and different serif/body ratio than European variants.

simple specimen of French Antique wood type from the Rob Roy Kelly collection, printed in the UT Design Lab

Character Quantities

  • A
    4
  • B
    3
  • C
    3
  • D
    3
  • E
    5
  • F
    3
  • G
    3
  • H
    3
  • I
    4
  • J
    3
  • K
    2
  • L
    5
  • M
    3
  • N
    4
  • O
    6
  • P
    3
  • Q
    2
  • R
    4
  • S
    5
  • T
    3
  • U
    3
  • V
    3
  • W
    3
  • X
    2
  • Y
    3
  • Z
    2
  • a
    4
  • b
    1
  • c
    3
  • d
    2
  • e
    5
  • f
    3
  • g
    3
  • h
    3
  • i
    6
  • j
    2
  • k
    2
  • l
    5
  • m
    3
  • n
    4
  • o
    4
  • p
    3
  • q
    2
  • r
    5
  • s
    5
  • t
    4
  • u
    3
  • v
    3
  • w
    3
  • x
    2
  • y
    3
  • z
    2
  • 0
    1
  • 1
    3
  • 2
    3
  • 3
    2
  • 4
    2
  • 5
    2
  • 6
    2
  • 7
    2
  • 8
    2
  • 9
    2
  • &
    2
  • $
    2
  • !
    5
  • Open Apos/Comma
    4
  • Close Apos
    3
  • Period
    4
  • Question Mark
    -
  • Colon
    2
  • Semi-Colon
    2
  • Dash
    -
  • Ligature
    -
  • Other
    -

Additional Specimens & Other Content

antique original wood type specimen catalog from wood type manufacturers in the 1800s featuring French Antique type

Typographic Messenger,vol. 4, no. 4 (July 1869); Graphic Arts Collection, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

French Antique specimen book page from American Wood Type 1828-1900 by Rob Roy Kelly

French Antique, page 255, American Wood Type 1828–1900, Rob Roy Kelly (1969)

letterpress print wood type specimen from the Rob Roy Kelly American Wood Type Collection Folio Revisited, lowercase and uppercase letters, framed by borders printed in two overlapping layers using black and green ink

From RRK Folio Revisited
Lauren Baronoskie, class of 2026
Folio Residency Session 4