Fette Fraktur Typeface (1850)
Johann Christian Bauer (1802–1867)
Blackletter was a script used throughout Western Europe from approximately 1150 to well into the 17th century. It continued to be used for the Danish language until 1875, and was used for the German language until the 20th century. Fraktur is a notable script of this type.
Fraktur is a type of calligraphy of the Latin alphabet. The blackletter lines are broken up; their forms contain many angles when compared to the smooth curves of the Antiqua (common) typefaces. The term “Fraktur” or “Gothic” is sometimes applied to all of the blackletter typefaces (known in German as Gebrochene Schrift, “Broken Script”)
Part of the Fraktur family of typefaces, Fette Fraktur is a blackletter script that was designed by Johann Christian Bauer in the mid-nineteenth century.
Bauer was a German punch-cutter and type-founder, he founded the Bauer Foundry in Frankfurt in 1837. In 1839 he moved to Edinburgh to perfect his skills at the firm of P.A. Wilson, returning to Germany in 1847 to manage his company, run under the name Englische Schriftschneiderei und Gravierandstalt (English Type-cutting and Engraving Works).
Fette Fraktur (meaning ‘bold’ Fraktur) was developed with intentions for use in advertising, a task at which it was well suited and successful. The typeface is characterised by its combined use of round and broken forms, and refined detail. The lower-case letters have forked ascenders, whereas the broad capitals have elegant flourishes.
With its flourishes and broken forms, legibility was an issue. Despite this Fraktur was a prevailing text face in German-speaking countries and also parts of Scandinavia over nearly a century.
The Nazi regime initially endorsed the use of Fraktur, when the propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, outlawed modern sans-serif type. By 1941, however, Fraktur was deemed questionable in its origins and the typeface was banned.
The New York Times has long used Fraktur for its masthead lettering. As evidence of the current revival of Fraktur, Matthew Carter was commissioned in 2005 to design a typeface derived from the masthead lettering, which is used in its Sunday Style magazine. A much bolder version of the elaborate upper-case ‘T’ graces each cover, creating a recognisable and elegant identity linked with that of the main paper.
Although closely associated with the Third Reich, Frakfurt has seen a renaissance in recent times across diverse genres, becoming a popular choice for graphic design within musical subcultures, from punk rock to hip hop.
