Robert Wiebking was a German-American engraver typeface designer who was known for cutting type matrices for Frederic Goudy from 1911 to 1926.
Life and career
Robert Wiebking was born in Schwelm, Germany in 1870, he emigrated to Chicago in 1881 where his father worked as an engraver for many companies, including the Marder, Luse, & Co. type foundry. In 1884, Wiebking began working for C. H. Hanson, an engraving company. By 1893 he was in business for himself, cutting type matrices for both the Crescent and Independent Type Foundries. In 1900, with H. H. Hardinge, he formed ‘‘Wiebking, Hardinge & Company’’ which ran the Advance Type Foundry. In 1914 the partnership was dissolved and Advance merged with the Western Type Foundry. After Western Foundry merged into Barnhart Brothers & Spindler, Wiebking began working once again for himself. He then designed type and cut matrices for many foundries and, from 1911 to 1926 he cut all of the matrices for Frederic Goudy's designs were cut by Wiebking. He taught both Goudy and R. Hunter Middleton how to cut matrices.
Typefaces
Typefaces designed by Wiebking
World Gothic series, a series in name only, as three only marginally similar faces were brought together under one heading as a marketing ploy to compete with ATF’sGlobe Gothic.
* World Gothic, originally Wesel.
* World Gothic Condensed, originally Tropic .
* World Gothic Italic, originally named Dewey in honor of Admiral Dewey.
Engravers Roman + Bold, later known as Tiffany Script. Usually credited to Morris Fuller Benton, but attributed to Wiebking by R. Hunter Middleton.
Steelplate Gothic series a knock-off of Goudy’sCopperplate Gothic, they were originally cut for Western Type Foundry under various names, and then renamed when that foundry was bought out by Barnhart Brothers & Spindler. When BB&S was in turn bought out by American Type Founders most of the line was dropped.
* Farley, later renamed Steelplate Gothic Extra Light Extended by BB&S and later ATF.
* Perry, later renamed Steelplate Gothic Heavy Extended by BB&S and later ATF.
* Perry Italic, later renamed Steelplate Gothic Italic by BB&S and later ATF.
* Steelplate Gothic Extra Light + Steelplate Gothic Light + Steelplate Gothic Light Condensed + Steelplate Gothic Heavy + Steelplate Gothic Heavy Condensed + Steelplate Gothic Bold
*Steelplate Gothic Shaded, known in England as Spartan Outline.
Artcraft series
* Craftsman When Advance was taken over by Western Type Foundry, the face was renamed Art-Craft. This was shortened to one name, Artcraft, when Western was taken over by Barnhart Brothers & Spindler. The line was retained by American Type Founders when, in turn, it bought out BB&S.
* Artcraft Italic
* Artcraft Bold
Modern Text.
Caslon series
* Caslon Catalog
* Caslon Clearface + Italic
* Caslon Light Italic
Invitation Text.
Rogers Roman, later renamed Engravers Litho Bold by BB&S who then added a Bold Condensed and a Bold Condensed Title. The line was retained by ATF after the merger.
Advertisers Gothic series. The outline faces are cut to register with the solid type for two-color work.
* Laclede Oldstyle, when Laclede was bought out by BB&S this face was re-cut as Munder Venetian and named in honor of Norman T. A. Munder dean of American printers.
* True-Cut Bodoni + Light Italic, modeled on original samples of Bodoni’s work at the Newberry Library.
Type Matrices cut by Wiebking
Pabst Old Style or Pabst Roman, based on hand lettering done by Frederic Goudy for advertisements for the Pabst Brewing Company, though commissioned by a Chicago department store. Cast by ATF with the proviso that the department store would have the exclusive use of the font for a time before it would be offered to the public. This was the first of many collaborations by Goudy and Wiebking.
* Pabst Roman Italic
Village, design by Goudy. Originally designed for Kuppenheimer & Company, who later decided it would be too expensive to cast, it was later bought by Frederick Sherman. The mats are still extant and cast by Dale Guild Foundry.
Baron’s Boston News Letter, a private face designed by Frederic Goudy for Joseph Baron’s financial newsletter.
Norman Capitals, designed by Frederic Goudy for Munder-Thompson Company, a Baltimore printing firm, and named for Norman Munder.
Marlborough, a private face designed by Frederic Goudy for a printer who lost interest in the project before completion. The design was sold to Lanston Monotype who, evidently, did nothing with it.
Newberry Binding Type Drawings by Ernst F. Detterer, metal patterns by R. Hunter Middleton, matrices cut by Wiebking, cast in brass by American Type Founders for the Newberry Library.
