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"It
is difficult to give notice only to his calligraphy. As dean of American
book arts, Dwiggins for decades deftly juggled visual ideas and techniques
with results that transformed the physique of the book … A calligraphic
sense permeated most all that he touched—illustration, ornament, typefaces,
title pages, and bindings. Dwiggins’s many italics varied from a near-copperplate
to a quasi-chancery—all executed with deceptive effortlessness … No matter
how formal or casual the subject matter, Dwiggins’s choice of letters
endowed it with authority—and subtly with his own identity … Dwiggins
worked at every job with a drollery that spared even the most strenuous
projects any stuffiness. His calligraphy—often only a word or two on a
title page—was always music for the eye, and as American and timeless
as Gershwin or Copeland."
--Charles
Skaggs
 |
TALES
Edgar
Allan Poe
Chicago:
The Lakeside Press, 1930
This
edition of Poe’s stories was designed and illustrated by W.A.
Dwiggins. He wrote in the “Illustrator’s Note”:
"I
knew that it was foolish to try to ornament Poe … My idea was
to start at the opposite pole and try for bald, graphic annotation—
diagrams of people doing the things Poe said they did. If I could
contrive ominous shapes here and there—shapes that hinted at strange
mental states and let the reader (out of the corner of his eye)
glimpse extraordinary dooms impending—that would help."
|
| Dwiggins’
illustrations were printed in shades of gray. The chapter headings
are in Dwiggins’ recognizable stenciled style, as is the cover paper.
Dwiggins was the first designer to use stencils widely for typographic
ornament. The tiny design elements were cut in celluloid or acetate
and then combined to decorate bindings and book jackets. The title-page
is also shown here. |
 |
 |
WARREN'S
STANDARD PRINTING PAPERS
S.
D. Warren Company
Boston:
S. D. Warren Company, c. 1920
This
paper sample book contains specimens of various papers made by
the S.D. Warren Company, each with an image printed on it using
various processes (line cut, halftone, etc.). The individual folders
and the case were decorated with stenciled designs by W.A. Dwiggins.
|
| The
design from the case reappeared in 1987 on the cover of Fine
Print. This journal, published by Sandra Kirshenbaum from 1975-1990,
covered all aspects of the book arts. This issue included several
articles about Dwiggins.
Dorothy
Abbé designed the cover using Dwiggins’ ornaments and his
stencil alphabet. Abbé (1909-1999) was a printer, book
designer, and photographer, best known as the longtime companion
and protégé of W.A. Dwiggins. She lived with and
cared for Dwiggins and his wife Mabel from 1947 until 1968, and
continued to promote Dwiggins’ life’s work for decades after his
death in 1956. From 1947 until 1956, she and Dwiggins operated
a joint private press, Püterschein-Hingham.
|
 |
| This
invitation to a preview of a memorial exhibition of the work of
W.A. Dwiggins sponsored by the American Institute of Graphic Arts
in 1957, was designed by Charles E. Skaggs. In it, Dwiggins is described
as “calligrapher, type designer, layout artist, illustrator, book
designer, mural painter, sculptor, playwright, puppeteer, costume-designer,
satirist, thinker, poet in prose.” |
 |
 |
MARIONETTE
IN MOTION
The
Püterschein system diagrammed
described
by W.A. Dwiggins
Detroit:
Puppetry Imprints, 1939 |
| This
work of Dwiggins on the construction of marionettes is written and
illustrated by him. The text reproduces his own lettering, including
additions which give the pages the look of a private journal.
W.A.
Dwiggins made and wrote about marionettes extensively. His work
on these puppets has been chronicled by his protégé
Dorothy Abbé. Considered by some to be her most important
book, The Dwiggins Marionettes: A Complete Experimental Theatre
in Miniature, documents the extraordinary basement theater
in Dwiggins’ studio, where he carved the marionettes, made sets,
and wrote original scripts for the puppet productions.
|
A
sample of Dwiggins' design.
Return
to Skaggs Exhibition home | Next Case: Dwiggins
& Skaggs' Work
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