Born in 1692 or 1693 in Worcestershire, England, and died in 1766, William Caslon started out as an engraver of gun locks and bookbinding tools. Noticed by London printers, he opened his own type foundry in London around 1720.
Vision
Caslon wanted to give England high-quality typefaces, at a time when English printers imported their type from Holland. He favored sturdiness, readability and reading comfort over formal innovation.
Works
He created Caslon, presented in his famous 1734 specimen, as well as many typefaces for foreign scripts, including Arabic and Hebrew.
Legacy
His foundry was run by his descendants for nearly two centuries. His typefaces crossed the Atlantic and set the first printed versions of the United States Declaration of Independence.