Douglas Crawford McMurtrie
Encyclopedia
Douglas Crawford McMurtrie (July 20, 1888 – September 29, 1944) was an American typeface designer, graphic designer
, historian and bibliographer of printing.
and attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology
. After leaving school without a degree, he worked as a newspaper reporter, statistician, free-lance designer, and printing broker. After several years, his design work came to the attention of Ingalls Kimball
, who appointed McMurtrie general manager of the Cheltenham Press. He subsequently served as printing manager of the Columbia University Printing Office
, the Arbor Press, and Condé Nast Press
.
, which imported types from Europe, serving as the company’s first vice-president. He also imported several faces from Europe on his own, including Cochin and Didot
. During 1925/26, he succeeded Frederic Goudy
as editor of the prestigious Ars Typographica magazine.
, where he spent a year as typographic director of the Cuneo Press before leaving to become director of advertising and typography at Ludlow Typograph Company
. Though he designed one typeface for Ludlow, his duties there primarily consisted of writing advertising copy. He held this position until the end of his life.
American Imprints Inventory. This project resulted in thirty-five publications as well as more than fifteen million documents being deposited in the Library of Congress
.
at age 55.
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
, historian and bibliographer of printing.
Early career
McMurtrie was born in Belmar, New JerseyBelmar, New Jersey
Belmar is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,794. The Borough of Belmar is governed under the Faulkner Act system of municipal government....
and attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
. After leaving school without a degree, he worked as a newspaper reporter, statistician, free-lance designer, and printing broker. After several years, his design work came to the attention of Ingalls Kimball
Ingalls Kimball
Ingalls Kimball was an American printer and entrepreneur.-Early years:Born in West Newton, Massachusetts to American entrepreneur Hannibal Ingalls Kimball and Mary Kimball....
, who appointed McMurtrie general manager of the Cheltenham Press. He subsequently served as printing manager of the Columbia University Printing Office
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, the Arbor Press, and Condé Nast Press
Condé Nast Publications
Condé Nast, a division of Advance Publications, is a magazine publisher. In the U.S., it produces 18 consumer magazines, including Architectural Digest, Bon Appétit, GQ, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and Vogue, as well as four business-to-business publications, 27 websites, and more than 50 apps...
.
Involvement with design and typography
During this period McMurtrie designed two type faces and helped design the format of the New Yorker magazine. He was instrumental in forming the Continental Type Founders AssociationContinental Type Founders Association
Continental Type Founders Association was founded by Melbert Brinckerhoff Cary Jr. in 1925 to distribute foundry type imported from European foundries. The influence of more modern European type design was thus felt in the United States for the first time, and American foundries responded by...
, which imported types from Europe, serving as the company’s first vice-president. He also imported several faces from Europe on his own, including Cochin and Didot
Didot (typeface)
Didot is a name given to a group of typefaces named after the famous French printing and type producing family. The classification is known as modern, or Didone. The typeface we know today was based on a collection of related types developed in the period 1784–1811. Firmin Didot cut the letters,...
. During 1925/26, he succeeded Frederic Goudy
Frederic Goudy
Frederic W. Goudy was a prolific American type designer whose typefaces include Copperplate Gothic, Kennerley, and Goudy Old Style. He also designed, in 1938, University of California Oldstyle, for the sole proprietary use of the University of California Press...
as editor of the prestigious Ars Typographica magazine.
Later career
After another period of free-lancing, McMurtrie moved to ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, where he spent a year as typographic director of the Cuneo Press before leaving to become director of advertising and typography at Ludlow Typograph Company
Ludlow Typograph
A Ludlow Typograph is a hot metal typesetting system used in letterpress printing. The device casts bars, or slugs of type, out of type metal primarily consisting of lead. These slugs are used for the actual printing, and then are melted down and recycled on the spot.The Ludlow system uses molds,...
. Though he designed one typeface for Ludlow, his duties there primarily consisted of writing advertising copy. He held this position until the end of his life.
Scholarly work
While at Ludlow, McMurtrie was allowed much time for research, resulting in many books, including one volume (of a planned four) of A History of Printing in the United States, and later The Book: the Story of Printing & Bookmaking, both of which won much acclaim. Having established himself as one of the most important bibliographers of printing, McMurtrie was appointed to head up the Works Progress Administration’sWorks Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
American Imprints Inventory. This project resulted in thirty-five publications as well as more than fifteen million documents being deposited in the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
.
Personal life
McMurtrie was a large man, weighing over 300 pounds, and was known for his engaging personality. He was much involved in charities for the crippled. He married Adele Kohler in 1915 and they had three children. He died suddenly of a heart attack in Evanston, IllinoisEvanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
at age 55.
Typefaces
- McMurtrie Tile (1922, ContinentalContinental Type Founders AssociationContinental Type Founders Association was founded by Melbert Brinckerhoff Cary Jr. in 1925 to distribute foundry type imported from European foundries. The influence of more modern European type design was thus felt in the United States for the first time, and American foundries responded by...
), capitals only, based on an eighteenth-century DutchDutch peopleThe Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
face by J.F. Rosart. - Vanity Fair Tile (1923, privately cast by ContinentalContinental Type Founders AssociationContinental Type Founders Association was founded by Melbert Brinckerhoff Cary Jr. in 1925 to distribute foundry type imported from European foundries. The influence of more modern European type design was thus felt in the United States for the first time, and American foundries responded by...
for Condé Nast PressCondé Nast PublicationsCondé Nast, a division of Advance Publications, is a magazine publisher. In the U.S., it produces 18 consumer magazines, including Architectural Digest, Bon Appétit, GQ, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and Vogue, as well as four business-to-business publications, 27 websites, and more than 50 apps...
), capitals only, based on an eighteenth-century DutchDutch peopleThe Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
face by J.F. Rosart. - Ultra-Modern series
- Ultra-Modern Roman (1928, LudlowLudlow TypographA Ludlow Typograph is a hot metal typesetting system used in letterpress printing. The device casts bars, or slugs of type, out of type metal primarily consisting of lead. These slugs are used for the actual printing, and then are melted down and recycled on the spot.The Ludlow system uses molds,...
), designed in collaboration with Aaron Borad and Leslie Sprunger. - Ultra-Modern bold (1930, LudlowLudlow TypographA Ludlow Typograph is a hot metal typesetting system used in letterpress printing. The device casts bars, or slugs of type, out of type metal primarily consisting of lead. These slugs are used for the actual printing, and then are melted down and recycled on the spot.The Ludlow system uses molds,...
) - Ultra-Modern Medium Italic (1930, LudlowLudlow TypographA Ludlow Typograph is a hot metal typesetting system used in letterpress printing. The device casts bars, or slugs of type, out of type metal primarily consisting of lead. These slugs are used for the actual printing, and then are melted down and recycled on the spot.The Ludlow system uses molds,...
)
- Ultra-Modern Roman (1928, Ludlow
Books
- The History of Typefounding in the United States, privately printed, N.Y.C., 1925.
- Type Design, Bridgeman Publishers, Pelham, New York, 1927.
- The Fichet Letter: the earliest document ascribing to Gutenberg the invention of printing, Press of Ars Typographica, N.Y.C., 1927.
- Active-age Typography, Chicago, 1930.
- A History of Printing in the United States: The Story of the Introduction of the Press and of Its History and Influence during the Pioneer Period in Each State of the Union,, in collaboration with Albert H. Allen, R.R. Bowker, N.Y.C., 1936.
- The Book: the Story of Printing & Bookmaking, Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, N.Y.C., 1943.