Culture
Words by Michel Wlassikoff
Cassandre’s Peignot, Deberny et Peignot foundry, 1933–1937
Cassandre sought to reform typography by returning to the Roman alphabet's roots, leading to the creation of the Peignot typeface in 1937; although controversial for mixing upper and lower case, it became a significant part of the 1937 international exhibition's signage and materials.
Cassandre sought to reform typography by returning to the Roman alphabet's roots, leading to the creation of the Peignot typeface in 1937; although controversial for mixing upper and lower case, it became a significant part of the 1937 international exhibition's signage and materials.
Despite the commercial failure of Bifur, Cassandre remains convinced that it is possible to create a character of hard work, representative of his century, by attempting a true reform of the writing, so as to “adapt it to the general evolution of the other arts”, and that to do this it is necessary to return to the sources of the Roman alphabet. “Cassandre had the idea of going back to the sources, of looking for legitimacy in the history of writing: the semi-uncials of the Middle Ages which had served as a starting point for creation of the Carolingian minuscule.” (Charles Peignot).
Apart from the J, five of the six capitals of this character already exist in his poster for the newspaper Le Jour (1933).
The studies of the paleographer Jean Mallon (see below), partly published in Arts et Métiers Graphiques between 1935 and 1939, confirm Cassandre in his biases. Jean Mallon reconsiders from top to bottom the problem of the formation of the Carolingian Minuscule, not in the context of a short past immediately prior to the Carolingian era, but from the Classical antiquity and independently of any link with any modern typography.
“It was in an in-depth study of the evolution of letter forms over the centuries that we first acquired the certainty that the principle of this very evolution could be continued logically. This same concern for simplification, purity and logic which drives research in all areas of contemporary art made us realize that the sound A could only be conceived in two ways. either in its epigraphic form A, or in its cursive form a, both of which correspond to an essentially different writing technique and that, obviously, the epigraphic design is was much more logically adapted to printing techniques than cursive.
The paleographic findings that emerge from the album published by MM. Mallon, Marichal and Perrat and who made the theme of Mr. Mallon’s film on the evolution of the letterprove abundantly that the lower case form is none other, in its origin, than the form A deformed over the centuries by scribes until the invention of printing... The latter, concerned at its beginnings to imitate manuscripts, adopted the lowercase a, which then served as the even all decorative distortions. What is true for the lowercase a is also true for a large number of letters. Moreover if c, i, o, s, u, v, x, y, have the same original form, in their capital aspect and in their lowercase aspect, it is only because these simple forms were written easily and that the hand of the scribes did not feel the need to simplify them. But nothing in printing technique prevents us from returning to the classic and noble forms of the letter and from abandoning lower case forms which, before long, will appear as archaic as the shapes of gothic characters .See below: La Lettre (France 1938). Produced by Marcel de Hubsch for Atlantic Film. Directed by Jean Mallon. Music by Jean Wiener.
Only one condition is required, respect for readability; however, obviously, a text in capitals is less readable than a text in lower case. (…) because the word takes a monotonous rectangular shape which offers the eye no point of reference. But the eye grasps the silhouette of a word, or even of a group of words; he does not spell each letter, he does not break down the word into letters…
This habit adopted from the top and bottom long lines is one that must be respected, which explains why in Peignot we have preserved these essential auxiliaries for easy reading. None of these long lines at the top and bottom are, however, anachronistic: l, b, f are atrophied capitals ; h, k are capitals that their haste adapts to reading ; p, q, y are capitals whose line is descended. Only of all the lowercase letters, d, in cursive form, remains, but in the current state of reading habits, it is impossible to do otherwise.”
Extract from the unsigned introduction to the Peignot specimen, the first published proofs of which were completed in print on February 12, 1937.
This attractive theory, however, comes up against the renewed observation that a text in capitals is less readable than in lower case. Against the advice of Cassandre, who believes that reading habits can be revolutionized and who wishes to achieve a radical creation based solely on the capital letter, Charles Peignot imposes the creation of a series in uppercase and another in lowercase. Cassandre does not seem to blame him since he gives his new face the name Peignot in homage to his mentor and the dynasty of founders who preceded him.
Published on the occasion of the 1937 international exhibition, Peignot was widely launched: it was used for part of the signage, for the official map and the inauguration program, for numerous guides and printed matter, as well as for the . In charge of the graphic arts and printing section of the Pensée française exhibition at the Palais de Chaillot, Charles Peignot installed a printing press and designed a series of panels explaining the evolution of the forms of the alphabet which concludes with the presentation of the typeface bearing his name. Jean Mallon produced a brochure and a film, The Letter, screened in the exhibition, situating Peignot in history. Within the UAM pavilion, another large panel presents the new typeface.
Peignot was adopted by Draeger and the Maison Nicolas, and it appeared on the posters of the National Museums, but numerous criticisms were heard in the professional world, relayed by Le Courrier graphique, a periodical founded in 1936.
“Charles Peignot is right when he writes that a text in capitals is less readable than in lowercase. We tell him, by looking at his character: a text that mixes capitals and lowercase is even less readable than a text in capitals.“Sur une enquête de Micromégas, au sujet d'un caractère qui n'en a pas”[“On an investigation by Micromégas, about a typeface which does not have character” by Georges Dangon, Le Courrier Graphique, November 1937, p 3].
But it is the printer Henri Colas who bears the brunt:
“Peignot is an error. A typeface should not be the result of a theory.”“La lettre et l'enseigne à l’exposition” by Henri Colas, master printer, Le Courrier graphique, December 1937.
Especially since the theory is erroneous, which Jean Mallon recognized in the 1950s, the fruit of a historical-typographic montage of which Charles Peignot is convinced and which leaves Cassandre in pursuit of his chimeras. His extraordinary effort resulted in the creation of a “surrealist” type whose flaws were immediately exploited by the Olive foundry which delivered, in 1938, Chambord, designed by Roger Excoffon, largely inspired by Peignot but provided with usable lowercase, while printers buy the uppercase alone and turn their backs on the complete founts of Peignot.
Production Type re-released Peignot and Peignot Initials in its definitive digital form in 2023.
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