[Illustration: 54. SPANISH ITALIC LETTERS. PEN DRAWN. FRANCISCO LUCAS,
1577]

[Illustration: 55. SPANISH ITALIC LETTERS. PEN DRAWN. FRANCISCO LUCAS,
1577]

[Illustration: 56. ITALIAN SMALL LETTERS. J. F. CRESCI, 1560]

[Illustration: 57. ENGLISH 17TH CENTURY INCISED LETTERS. FROM TOMBSTONES]

[Illustration: 58. MODERN SMALL LETTERS. AFTER HRACHOWINA]

[Illustration: 59. MODERN SMALL LETTERS. CLAUDE FAYETTE BRAGDON]

[64]

Figures 52 to 59 show several forms of small letter alphabets; those shown
in 52 to 56 being taken from "Writing books" by Spanish and Italian writing
masters. These writing masters often chose to show their skill by imitating
type forms of letters with the pen, but though similar in the individual
forms of the letters the written examples exhibit a freedom and harmony in
composition impossible for type to equal, and therefore are immeasurably
more interesting to the modern penman. Figure 61 illustrates a type form of
minuscule which may be commended for study. Other examples of small letters
by modern designers will be found in 105, 110, 118 and 131, where they are
used in connection with their capital forms.

[Illustration: 60. INSCRIPTION FROM ENGLISH SLATE TOMBSTONES, 1691.
F. C. B.]

[Illustration: 61. ROMAN AND ITALIC TYPE. FROM THE SPECIMEN BOOK OF WILLIAM
CASLON, 1734]

The minuscule alphabet by Mr. Claude Fayette Bragdon, 59, is a carefully
worked-out form which in its lines closely follows a type face devised by
Jenson, the celebrated Venetian printer who flourished toward the end of
the sixteenth century. This example together with those shown in 50, 51 and
56 exhibits some conservative variations of the standard models for
minuscule letters; and the same may be said of the modern type faces shown
in 62, 63 and 64. The various other examples of the small-letter forms
illustrated evidence how original and interesting modifications of
conservative shapes may be evolved without appreciable loss of legibility.

[Illustration: 62. MODERN ROMAN TYPE "MONTAIGNE". BRUCE ROGERS]

[Illustration: 63. MODERN ROMAN TYPE "RENNER". THEO. L. DE VINNE]

[Illustration: 64. MODERN ROMAN TYPE "MERRYMOUNT" BY B. G. GOODHUE]

[Illustration: 65. MODERN ROMAN TYPE "CHELTENHAM" BY B. G. GOODHUE]

Figure 61 shows the capital, small letter and italic forms of a type based
on old Venetian models, cut by William Caslon in the early part of the
eighteenth century, and ever [69] since known by his name