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A
LIFE WITH LETTERS
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Charles
Skaggs, born in 1917, grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. While in
high school he apprenticed in an art studio, where he learned the
fundamentals of printing processes. At the age of nineteen, he went
to Chicago and soon made his mark designing advertising art, packaging,
and posters. In Chicago he was introduced to the art of book design
by Chicago bibliophiles, including Raymond DaBoll, who showed him
the work of William Addison Dwiggins. Skaggs also taught himself
calligraphy during this time.
Skaggs
moved to New York City in 1945 and quickly established himself as
a freelance book jacket designer. He worked on books and jackets
for the Limited Editions Club and for the publisher Alfred A. Knopf.
Through Knopf, Skaggs worked closely with W.A. Dwiggins. Skaggs
also became acquainted with other leading figures in calligraphy
and type and book design—Oscar Ogg, Paul Standard, Philip Grushkin,
and George Salter. At Salter’s urging, Skaggs joined the faculty
of the Cooper Union in 1953. For five years, he taught night classes
in calligraphy and the history of the alphabet.
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| Skaggs'
career eventually changed from being an independent designer to working
as art director for a variety of publishing houses—Silver, Burdette
and Company, Washington Square Press (Simon & Schuster), Harper
& Row’s college book division, and lastly, the trade book division
of Macmillan Publishing Company. In 1969 he left Macmillan and returned
to Kentucky. He continued to work as a freelance designer for New
York firms and for the University of Kentucky. Skaggs moved to Colorado
in 1981, and later to his current home in Washington state.
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In
November 2001 Charles E. Skaggs donated his personal typographic
library to the rare book collection at Smith College. This gift
includes approximately 580 books, many of them special and limited
editions produced throughout the past six decades, many of them
designed by Skaggs. There also is a wealth of ephemeral printed
and calligraphic material. His entire career is highlighted in this
exhibition featuring original art work and calligraphy, his book
and jacket designs, and articles written by him. The work of a number
of his colleagues in the world of lettering and book arts also is
shown.
Charles
Skaggs attended a public reception for this exhibition on Friday,
September 13, 2002.
EXHIBITION
Each
image below is a link to a particular case of the exhibition. They
can be viewed in order via the links at the bottom of each page,
or individually by returning to this home page and selecting the
case you would like to view. A collection of book jackets designed
by Skaggs is available here
as part of this web exhibition.
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An
Early Commission
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L.
P.
Hartley
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Paul
Standard
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George
Salter
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Oswald
Cooper
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Jackets
with Original Art
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William
A. Dwiggins
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Dwiggins
& Skaggs
Work
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Continuing
Collaboration
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Original
Lettering
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Lettering
Models
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Designs
1949-1960
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Fine
Print
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LEC
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AIGA
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RIT
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Typography
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Typophiles
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Exhibition
designed and written by Barbara
Blumenthal.
Web exhibition designed by Jessica
Bumpous.
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Last
Updated:
November 20, 2006
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