Letterforms Study Group: Corsivo Inglese in Caratteri—Addendum 2: Rosaria 030–032

Since we did not plan to use a second script wood typeface for the workshop, we did not spend time exhaustively analyzing Rosaria 030–032. The fount was acquired by the Tipoteca from Rosaria Arti Grafiche in Palermo and occupies drawers numbered 030 to 032, hence the name I have given it. Its manufacturer and date of creation are unknown, though it is clearly not as old as Stocchetti 004–006. It appears to have been machine cut and lacks the sloped shoulders that distinguish the older face. Its body is 20 ciceros high (approximately 3.33 inches). There are no vertically kerned characters.

Assembly of Rosaria 030–032 by Erin Roche showing the absence of vertically kerned letters. Photograph by Paul Shaw 2025.

Rosaria 030–032’s character set is more complete than that of Stocchetti 004–006. The only missing capital is K and the lowercase is complete. There are figures and the punctuation includes parens alongside a period, comma, colon, exclamation point, and question mark. The body is angled and the fount includes triangular end spaces, but no word spaces. The lowercase letters have tiny “hooks” that help in locking them up. For a similar reason, some of the capitals have bodies that have been truncated at the bottom. The only letter that has been kerned by Rosaria or a previous owner is an n that has been shortened.

Lowercase m and h from Rosaria 030–032 placed on their sides to make their “hooks” more visible. Photograph by Paul Shaw 2025.

The back of lowercase h from Rosaria 030–032. Photograph by Paul Shaw 2025.

Richard Ardagh holding a Rosaria 030–032 G. Note the truncated corner. Photograph by Paul Shaw 2025.

The wood is in very good shape. A few letters are chipped, but none are broken and there are no worm holes.

“Shelley” detail from composition by Henri-Paul Bronsard and Gabriella Miyares. Note the chipped y. Photograph by Paul Shaw 2025.

Rosaria 030–032s letters are more competent and consistent than those of Stocchetti 004–006. The J is unusually exuberant; the ampersand lacks strong stroke contrast, making it appear anemic; the figures are very nice, especially the curvaceous 2 and the descending 7;

Several characters from Rosaria 030–032. Note the weak ampersand at right. Photograph by Paul Shaw 2025.

Several figures from Rosaria 030–032. Photograph by Paul Shaw 2025.

Rosaria 030 drawer. (The Tipoteca drawers often include multiple typefaces from a single source.) Photograph by Paul Shaw 2025.

Rosaria 031 drawer. Photograph by Paul Shaw 2025.

Rosaria 032 drawer. Photograph by Paul Shaw 2025.

Letterforms Study Group: Corsivo Inglese in Caratteri—Addendum 3: Unidentified Metal Script Type