Baskerville Font

Feb 13, 2026

The typeface was designed by John Baskerville in 1757, Birmingham England. Typography cut by punchcutter John Handy.

It is also called a "Transitional typeface" with a higher contrast between thick and thin strokes with a vertical axis.

Isaac Moore created a later version of this font called “Fry’s baskervile” or “Baskerville old Face”

History & technical context of its design

Baskerville made his money by selling lacquered goods and transformed the quality of printing in england by using level presses, better quality ink and glazing papers to have a smooth finish (it was called woven paper)

He was also a calligraphy teacher that heavily inspired his font. His typeface is very similar to the tombstones he used to carve in the 1730s. He spent seven years developing his printing project and advertised in 1754 in books like Vergil and Paradise lost. In 1758, he became the University Printer in Cambridge University Press.

He wasn’t successful in the local england print scene, initially. People went as far as to say his font damaged their eyes after reading them. But abroad he had started garnering fans (imitators even) like Benjamin Franklin (yes, that benjamin franklin, he started out as a printer), Giambattista Bodoni who wrote him letters praising his work.

Also to be noted, Bold weights were not present in his original rendition that were only added in modern revivals

Uses

In the past Baskerville was used to print serious books such as previously mentioned vergil, a paradise lost, versions of the bible.
Currently it is used for serious branding for institutions and other serious things

My other thoughts & opinions about this font

I like Baskerville more than the older fonts like Garamond

The higher contrast in the strokes as compared to older fonts feels more established on the paper as compared to Garamond

the smaller circumference at the terminal (the round part of the beginning f) give it less of the inked by pen vibes.

Random facts about John Baskerville

He famously wore colourful clothes. His favourite colours were red, green & gold

He entered the printing & typesetting scene at the age of FIFTY

He became rich selling lacquered goods, the technique of which he copied from some guy called Taylor by following him around the city and buying up all the stuff, he was selling at places

did some rip off chinese lacquering technique called “japanning”

He was pissed off that he didn’t make as much money from printing

His peers didn’t like him allegedly because of his personality and atheism

After his death, between 1775 - 1963, his body remains were moved 4 times before being buried again in Warstone Lane Cemetery. He was an atheist and didn’t care about being buried in a christian cemetery

In 1996, Emigre fonts released a font in his wife’s name “Mrs Eaves” (her name was Sarah Eaves)