Cooper vs. Cooper: Lettering in 20th Century America (Online)

The first three decades of the 20th century witnessed the heyday of American lettering. The big names were Frederic W. Goudy, W. A. Dwiggins, and Oswald Cooper, but there were many other talented lettering artists working at that time, too, including Walter Dorwin Teague, Thomas Maitland Cleland, Harvey Hopkins Dunn, Rudolph Ruzicka—and Fred G. Cooper. Fred G. Cooper, often known as F.G.C., was constantly confused with Oswald Cooper (often called Oz) back then, and the two lettering artists are still frequently mixed up.

Presented in honor of the current exhibition From the Bronx to the Battery: The Subway Sun featuring the work of Fred G. Cooper, this virtual talk led by designer and typography historian Paul Shaw will survey the work of both men with a focus on their personalities as well as their lettering, demonstrating why they were often mistaken for each other and why both deserve recognition as prominent graphic designers of their time. The speaker will address Fred G. Cooper’s long career before he began designing The Subway Sun advertisements and explain why he should continue to be seen as an innovator in the field.