Stencil-Gothic — designed in 1885 by John West of Brooklyn, New York — is the first known typeface that incorporates interrupted strokes in order to evoke the impression of stencil lettering.

In addition to the implementation of the stencil breaks into lead type the inventor of Stencil-Gothic seasoned its glyphs with “fey, budding tendrils that sprout from the letters.” (— Eric Kindel: “A tradition with breaks” in Eye magazine No. 86, vol. 22, 2013).

This coup totally subverts the technical limitations found in stencil lettering and leads to a design of vast conceptual complexity — a typeface flourishing with attractive contradictions and all the sparkle of Victorian eclecticism.

Fascinated by the odd polystylistic nature of the design Ellmer Stefan & Johannes Lang set out to digitize Stencil-Gothic in spring 2014.

For more background information visit www.stencil-gothic.com