Fette Fraktur was issued by the C.E. Weber foundry in 1875. For hundreds of years, from the Renaissance until World War II, the principal German vernacular type was fraktur, a style of blackletter. Fraktur, or broken, letterforms are partly composed of rounded elements and partly of straight lines and angles. The capitals have striking flourishes.

Fette Fraktur was originally used for books and newspapers. Fette means bold, and this bold fraktur was designed for headlines and display work.