William Morris Kelmscott Chaucer Golden Legend William Morris

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William Morris Kelmscott Chaucer & Golden Legend

William Morris Kelmscott Chaucer & Golden Legend

William Morris & The Pre. Raphaelites n Against mechanized printing press; believed needed handmade

William Morris & The Pre. Raphaelites n Against mechanized printing press; believed needed handmade cuts for more beautiful results n Thought about the image and impact he wanted to create and the type and borders he would use

Chaucer Font Designed the Troy type based on Gothic type: “E” is rounded, “S”

Chaucer Font Designed the Troy type based on Gothic type: “E” is rounded, “S” has a horizontal middle stroke, “h” has Gothic hook to the left, “g” looks identical, “e” has sloped line n BUT does not have: “d” bent left, ligatures (tied letters), and contractions n Chaucer evolved from Troy font; 12 -point version of 18 -point Troy font n Named because Morris planned on using it for Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales n

Kelmscott Chaucer n n n Last thing published by Kelmscott Press before Morris’s death

Kelmscott Chaucer n n n Last thing published by Kelmscott Press before Morris’s death in 1896 Morris had wanted to publish this work since 1891 Worked on borders beginning in February 1893 87 illustrations from 1892 -95 by Burne-Jones and William H. Hooper Morris designed a few pigskin covers before he died

Kelmscott Chaucer

Kelmscott Chaucer

Kelmscott Chaucer

Kelmscott Chaucer

Golden Type n n Developed in 1890 Based on Roman type from 15 th

Golden Type n n Developed in 1890 Based on Roman type from 15 th century Venetians (Nicolaus Jenson & Jacobus Rubeus) Compared to Roman type, Morris’s is: darker, thicker Goal for Golden type: “pure in form; severe … solid, without the thickening and thinning of the line … and not compressed laterally”

The Golden Legend n medieval book of Saints’ lives n Supposed to be first

The Golden Legend n medieval book of Saints’ lives n Supposed to be first book published by Kelmscott Press, but not finished until November 1892 n Morris designed the borders n Illustrations by Edward Burne-Jones

The Golden Legend

The Golden Legend

The Golden Legend

The Golden Legend

Morris’s Bindings Used Henry Band’s vellum for text and bindings n Kelmscott Chaucer had

Morris’s Bindings Used Henry Band’s vellum for text and bindings n Kelmscott Chaucer had different bindings: n 1. White pigskin binding 2. Blindstamped pigskin binding designed by Morris