Collection: Elsie Libre

Elsie is inspired by the whimsical Victorian wood type manufactured by Delittle of York. Founded in 1888, Delittle produced many unique faces over their 110-year history; in their undated but c1925 catalogue this quirky example is prosaically called ‘Round Serif’. Elsie took inspiration from this and, to a lesser extent, another Delittle design called Fancy. The more restrained, contemporary version is suitable for longer texts, while the Libre version is more flamboyant, with other decorative Edwardian touches such as the swash crossbars, rotated counters, curved diagonal on the N and the sloped bowls of the R and P, extra serifs at the base of the G, J and U, and a curled j and two-storey g.  Both include lining and old-style numerals, and alternatives for the g, j and ampersand.