Wikipedia

William Hamilton Page

William Hamilton Page (1829–1909) was a type designer and owner of William Page & Company, a leading manufacturer of wood type for letterpress printing.[1]

William Hamilton Page
Born1829
Tilton, New Hampshire
Died1909
Mystic, Connecticut
NationalityAmerican
Known fortypography

Life and career

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Page worked as a printer for several newspapers before learning the trade of wood type manufacturing from John Cooley in South Windham, Connecticut. In 1856 he and James Bassett purchased the assets of the defunct H. &. J. Bill & Company and went into partnership as Page & Bassett. In 1859 he withdrew from this partnership and became partners with Samuel Mowry, forming William Page & Company, near Norwich, Connecticut. This firm quickly became the largest and most efficient manufacturer of wooden type in the United States. It was only in the 1880s that a serious rival, the Hamilton Manufacturing Company owned by J.E. Hamilton, emerged. When Page retired in 1891, he sold out to Hamilton for stock in that company, and Page's equipment and stock were consolidated with that of Hamilton in Two Rivers, Wisconsin.

Typefaces

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Sample page from Wm. H. Page and Co., Specimens of Wood Type Borders, Rules, &c.

Page was a prolific designer of typefaces, all of them typical of the heavily ornamented style of the mid-nineteenth century. The following types were designed by Page:[2]

References

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  1. ^ Consuegra, David, American Type Design & Designers, Allworth Press, New York City, p. 204.
  2. ^ Consuegra, David, American Type Design & Designers, Allworth Press, New York City, pp. 204-213.
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