- For other uses or meanings of Caslon, see Caslon
(disambiguation).
William Caslon I in an engraved portrait by John Faber the Younger.
A specimen sheet of typefaces and languages, by William Caslon I, letter founder; from the 1728
Cyclopaedia.
William Caslon, also known as William Caslon I (1692–1766) was an English gunsmith and designer of
typefaces. He was born at Cradley,
Worcestershire, and in 1716 started business in London as an engraver of gun locks and barrels, and as a bookbinder's tool cutter. Having contact
with printers, he was induced to fit up a type foundry, largely through the encouragement
of William Bowyer. The distinction and legibility of his type secured him the patronage
of the leading printers of the day in England and on the
continent.
Caslon's typefaces were inspired by the Dutch Baroque types, the most commonly used types in England before Caslon's faces.
His work influenced John Baskerville and are thus the progenitors of the typeface
classifications Transitional (which includes Baskerville, Bulmer, and Fairfield), and Modern (which includes Bodoni,
Didot, and Walbaum).
Caslon typefaces were immediately popular and used for many important printed works, including the first printed version of
the United States Declaration of Independence. Caslon's types
became so popular that the expression about typeface choice, "when in doubt, use Caslon," came about. The Caslon types fell out
of favour in the century after his death, but were revived in the 1840s. Several revivals of the Caslon types are widely used
today.
The grave of William Caslon is preserved in the churchyard of St Luke Old
Street, London.
See also
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia
Britannica Eleventh Edition article "Caslon", a publication now in the public
domain.
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