Deberny et Peignot’s ”Sphinx”

Charles Peignot’s rediscovery of Normandes types attracted the attention of designer Cassandre.

Many so-called Art Déco characters were discovered during the inventories of the funds carried out during the regrouping of the Deberny and Peignot foundries, at the beginning of the 1920s. Charles Peignot devoted himself personally to this and was at the origin of several finds of interest. Normandes, Gras Vibert come from his rediscoveries, and a type that he named Sphinx, because it originally only had an inventory number.

“The success of the Normandes and Romain Gras Vibert in the Didot style encouraged me to see if it was possible to launch a very fat Elzévir… In 1924, I took Sphinx out of the Deberny catalog (…) I named this typographic hound Sphinx whose density could meet certain advertising needs , which was then taking off. It was enough to rejuvenate the way of presenting it to make it modern. The Sphinx brochure was my third creation as a layout designer and page editor. It was effective if we judge by the sale of the type; it was even more so in the sense that it attracted Cassandre’s attention. Seeing this leaflet, he wanted to know me. He said of me: “He’s a revolutionary.”

“Les Peignot: Georges, Charles”, Communication et langages, n°59, 1er trimestre 1984. Pp. 61-85.