Hobo (typeface)
| File:HoboExample.svg | |
| Category | Sans Serif |
|---|---|
| Classification | Display |
| Designer(s) | Morris Fuller Benton |
| Foundry | American Type Founders |
| Date created | 1910 |
| Date released | 1910 + 1915 |
| Re-issuing foundries | Intertype |
| Trademark | 1915 |
Hobo is a sans serif typeface. It is unique in having virtually no straight lines and no descenders. It was created by Morris Fuller Benton and issued by American Type Founders in 1910. A light version, Light Hobo, was released in 1915. Matrices were offered for mechanical composition by Intertype. Hobo possesses uniquely organic and art nouveau-style features. The lower case letters provided the basis for Robert Wiebking's Advertisers Gothic of 1917.[1]
There are several theories regarding the font's name, and in fact it is widely recognized as one of the more interesting mysteries in typographic history.[2] One theory states that its name came from a story stating that it was sketched in the early 1900s, sent to the foundry nameless, and progressed so little for so long, that it was called "that old hobo". Hobo, originally called Adface, was finally patented in 1915 along with Light Hobo.[3] The prevailing bow-legged shape of the letterforms inspired another long-held theory that it was so named because they resembled those of a bow-legged hobo. A more recent theory states that Benton, who lived and worked near a large Russian community, may have been inspired by a particular cigar poster using similar forms spelling what appears to read like "HOBO" (Russian for "New!").[2] The poster's hand-lettering bears striking and unique resemblances to the font, most notably the shape of the capital O at the extreme right.
Digital versions of this face are often found in Mac OS and Microsoft Windows systems.
Usage in popular culture
Hobo was used as the main typeface in the title sequence and promotional materials of the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.[4] Hobo was also used in the opening titles of The Dukes of Hazzard.
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hobo. |
