David ShieldsHappy Birthday Horatio Nelson Bill—born in Lebanon, Connecticut, on this day March 25, 1824. <br> ——————<br> Horatio worked as a sign painter before he (and brother Jeremiah) cut wood type for Edwin Allen in Windham, Connecticut. The brothers formed their own wood type company, H &amp; J Bill, in 1850 based in Lebanon. They moved the company six miles north to Willimantic in 1851. The company was known as Bill, Stark &amp; Co 1853–1854. In late 1854 the company was shuttered and subsequently sold to William H. Page in 1856. Horatio was listed as Type Maker on his 1863 draft registration and listed variously as a sign painter, house painter, and fine arts painter in the 1870s and 1880s.<br> ———<br> Image is of Tuscan Open as shown in the 1853 _Specimens of Machinery Cut Wood Type, Manufactured by Bill, Stark &amp; Company, Willimantic, Connecticut._ (held in the ATF Library Collection at Columbia University, Rare Books &amp; Manuscripts.<br> ——<br> —<br> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/WoodType?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WoodType</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/TypeSpecimen?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TypeSpecimen</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/TypeDesign?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TypeDesign</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/letterforms?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#letterforms</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/typography?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#typography</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/letterpress?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#letterpress</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/type?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#type</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/design?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#design</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/GraphicDesign?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#GraphicDesign</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/NineteenthCentury?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NineteenthCentury</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/OnThisDay?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#OnThisDay</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/birthday?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#birthday</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/bibliography?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#bibliography</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/archives?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#archives</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/libraries?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#libraries</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/collections?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#collections</a>