![Fournierphoto](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Fournierphoto.gif)
Pierre-Simon Fournier (15 September 1712 – 8 October 1768) was a
French mid-18th century
punch-cutter,
typefounder and
typographic
Typography is the art and technique of typesetting, arranging type to make written language legibility, legible, readability, readable and beauty, appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, Point (typogra ...
theoretician. He was both a collector and originator of types. Fournier's contributions to printing were his creation of initials and ornaments, his design of letters, and his standardization of type sizes. He worked in the
rococo
Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...
form, and designed
typefaces
A typeface (or font family) is the design of lettering that can include variations in size, weight (e.g. bold), slope (e.g. italic), width (e.g. condensed), and so on. Each of these variations of the typeface is a font.
There are thousands o ...
including Fournier and Narcissus. He was known for incorporating ‘decorative typographic ornaments’ into his typefaces. Fournier's main accomplishment is that he ‘created a standardized measuring system that would revolutionize the typography industry forever’.
He was also known as Fournier le Jeune ("the younger") to distinguish him from his father Jean Claude, who was also in the typesetting industry. In his early life, Fournier studied watercolour with
J. B. G. Colson, and later wood engraving. In 1737, Fournier published his first theoretical work, on the minimum spacing between letters while still retaining readability.
Career
![Konstruktion fournier](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Konstruktion_fournier.png)
In 1723, the French government agreed that types should be subject to standards. By 1737, the younger Fournier decided to begin creating his punches to a scale of 6
ciceros or 72
points to the
Paris inch
The Paris inch or pouce is an archaic unit of length that, among other uses, was common for giving the measurement of lenses. The Paris inch could be subdivided into 12 Paris lines (''ligne''), and 12 Paris inches made a Paris foot. The abbrevi ...
, instead of the then-standard height-to-paper method. This point is smaller than the subsequent
Didot point established by
François-Ambroise Didot
Didot is the name of a family of French printers, punch-cutters and publishers. Through its achievements and advancements in printing, publishing and typography, the family has lent its name to typographic measurements developed by François-Amb ...
38 years later, as Fournier used the
Paris foot (0.298 m) and Didot used the
royal foot
200px, Woodcut dated 1800 illustrating the new decimal units which became the legal norm across all France on 4 November 1800
The traditional French units of measurement prior to metrification were established under Charlemagne during the Carol ...
(', 0.325 m). The Fournier cicero (12 points) is approximately 11 Didot points.
![FournierScale144pts](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/FournierScale144pts.png)
Two years after developing the point system, Fournier decided to create his own type foundry.
When the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
was seized by France,
Louis XIV
, house = Bourbon
, father = Louis XIII
, mother = Anne of Austria
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
, death_date =
, death_place = Palace of Vers ...
commissioned new types for use during his reign. The King kept the font as a monopoly to himself, with penalties against unauthorized reproduction. In the following century, Fournier's ''Modèles des Caractères'' (1742; spelled by him as ''Modéles des Caracteres'') continued the ''
Romain du Roi'' style, but adapted it for his own new age. The typefaces that Fournier and successors created had such extreme contrast between thick and thin strokes, that there was a constant risk of the letters shattering.
Upon publishing ''Modèles des Caractères'', filled with rococo and fleurons, Fournier's publication helped revive the 16th century concept of type ornaments. The revival spawned imitations, including some by Johann Michael Fleischmann and J. Enschedé.
By the 1750s, Fournier was still riding high as a major player in the industry. Fournier acted as advisor to Sweden and Sardinia in the creation of their royal printing works, and helped
Madame de Pompadour
Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (, ; 29 December 1721 – 15 April 1764), commonly known as Madame de Pompadour, was a member of the French court. She was the official chief mistress of King Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and rema ...
establish her own printing works.
On his wave of relative success, Fournier's interest in music had a chance to finally flourish. Working with J. G. I. Breitkopf in 1756, Fournier developed a new musical typestyle that made the notes round, more elegant, and easier to read. They quickly gained popularity in the music world. Ballard had previously had a monopoly in the printing of music, using comparatively crude methods.
Patenting his invention in 1762, he surprisingly was frowned upon by other printers, who initially didn't recognise the practice as legitimate. He published a historical and critical treatise on the origins and process of cast iron characters for music, in which he pleaded for acceptance of his own works, while blasting Ballard.
In 1764 and 1768 Fournier published "Manuel Typographique", his formal and systematic exposition on the history of French types and printing, and on type founding in all its details; including the measurement of type by the point system.
After death
Fournier's company remained open until the 19th century.
Interest in type design was stimulated in 1922 by D. B. Updike's ''Printing Types''. This led to the newly appointed advisor to the
Monotype Corporation
Monotype Imaging Holdings Inc., founded as Lanston Monotype Machine Company in 1887 in Philadelphia by Tolbert Lanston, is an American (historically Anglo-American) company that specializes in digital typesetting and typeface design for use with ...
,
Stanley Morison
Stanley Arthur Morison (6 May 1889 – 11 October 1967) was a British typographer, printing executive and historian of printing. Largely self-educated, he promoted higher standards in printing and an awareness of the best printing and typefaces o ...
, initiating a program of recutting past faces. Among them was Fournier's self-named font.
Fournier on others' type
"
askerville's italic isthe best found in any type-foundry in Europe."
John Baskerville
John Baskerville (baptised 28 January 1707 – 8 January 1775) was an English businessman, in areas including japanning and papier-mâché, but he is best remembered as a printer and type designer. He was also responsible for inventing "wov ...
taught
calligraphy
Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...
for four years, before discovering type. Both Fournier and Baskerville's italics originated with
copperplate hand.
Notes
Further reading
* Fournier, Pierre Simon, ''Traité historique et critique
..'. Minkoff Reprint, Genève 1972
vec le traité des Gando* Lepreux G., ''Gallia typographica, série parisienne. Paris 1911
* Beaujon P., ''Pierre Simon Fournier 1712–1768, and 18th century French Typography''. London 1926
* Carter H. (éditeur), ''Fournier on Typefounding''. London 1930
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fournier, Pierre Simon
1712 births">raduction de P.-S. Fournier, «Manuel typographique» Paris 1764–1768
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fournier, Pierre Simon
1712 births
1768 deaths
French typographers and type designers