Hand Fonts

Where Do Fonts Come From?

Sara Friedman | Hustle | 25th August 2023

Mostly from one corporation, the aptly named Monotype. Founded in the 19C, the company was first built around the monotype machine that manufactured type more quickly. After a century of acquiring rivals, it is now "a kraken eating up the industry". It owns all the major fonts — Arial, Helvetica, Gotham, Times New Roman — as well as the primary digital marketplace for typefaces (2,030 words)

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What Should Men Do With Their Hands?

Hannah Carlson | Guernica | 5th September 2023

Extract from a history of pockets, dealing with the vexed question of what 19C men — who lack accessories like "the needle, the shuttle, or the fan" — should do with their hands. Even Darwin addressed the problem, theorising that restless hands were an evolutionary throwback. Putting hands in pockets was felt to be disrespectful and unhygienic, until it became cool in the 20C (970 words)