Martha Elizabeth Colwell (May 24, 1881 – October 18, 1961 ) was an American printmaker, typographer, and writer.
Life
editColwell was born in Bronson, Michigan; according to the 1880 United States census, her family, including parents Elisha and Nancy, and siblings, Frederic, Albert, Fernando, William and Laura, lived on a farm at Burr Oak.[1]
Education
editColwell studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago[2] Her instructors included John Vanderpoel and Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt,[1] the latter of whom instructed her in the art of Japanese woodblock printing.[2] After becoming acquainted with Thomas Wood Stevens in 1899 she began contributing illustrations and poetry to editions of the magazine The Blue Sky.[1]
Career
edit
During her career Colwell worked in advertising, and she was known for her hand-lettered newspaper advertisements. In 1909 she published a book of poetry, Songs and Sonnets, which she designed and illustrated herself; she published other such books during her career.[3] 1910 saw the publication of the volume On the Making of Wood-Block-Color Prints. For American Type Founders Colwell designed the 1916 display typeface Colwell Handletter and its italic.[4][5][6] A 1947 exhibition on the history of type design in American noted her place as the only American female type designer known at that time.[7]
She was associated with the Works Progress Administration during the 1930s;[2] one of her paintings from the period, Bowl of Fruit in watercolor and tempera on panel, is currently owned by Western Illinois University.[8] Several other works are in the collection of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Colwell exhibited widely throughout her career, and was a member of the Chicago Society of Artists and the Chicago and New York Societies of Etchers.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c Jay, Alex (14 March 2016). "Tenth Letter of the Alphabet: Creator: Elizabeth Colwell". Retrieved 27 February 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Elizabeth Colwell". 8 May 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
- ^ Colwell, Elizabeth [from old catalog (1 January 1909). "Songs & sonnets ." New York, F.F. Sherman. Retrieved 27 February 2017 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ 1923 American Type Founders Specimen Book & Catalogue. Elizabeth, New Jersey: American Type Founders. 1923. pp. 292–7.
- ^ "Colwell". 1001 Fonts. Apostrophic Labs. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
- ^ Curtis, Nick. "McKenna Handletter NF". MyFonts. Nick's Fonts. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
- ^ Rollins, Carl Purington (1947). American Type Designers and Their Work. p. 9. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
- ^ "Collection – University Art Gallery – Western Illinois University". Retrieved 27 February 2017.
"Findagrave" Elizabeth Colwell, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/58548625/elizabeth-martha-colwell
External links
edit- American Type Founders specimen book, 1923 - Colwell Handletter is shown extensively on pages 292-7