Acquired from the UK-based private press of I.M. Imprimit, the Pouchée Specimen Sheets are a rare collection of antique ornamented types, originally produced at the foundry of Louis John Pouchée (b. 1782, d. 1845). The letters were engraved by hand in the 1820s as patterns from which metal types could be made and sold to poster printers. They are richly ornamented fat-face styles, incorporating images of flowers, fruit, animals, musical instruments, agricultural implements, and Masonic symbols within the letterforms.

“Louis Pouchée” Lithograph by Thomas Charles Wageman courtesy National Portrait Gallery, London

Images may be downloaded for educational use, with credit to: Collection of Archetype Press and the Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography. For usage beyond educational purposes, you must contact the original copyright holder.