Empty Laagen Ascendonica Romein Onder
Belgian French Lower Case

                                                     
           
  
            
   
 
 
         

This Belgian typecase configuration matches the Laagen Ascendonica Romein case (VV 2,6,R18-O) (undated, but probably pre 1876) in the Plantin-Moretus Museum in 1998. The companion Upper case is the English Upper of Moxon, et al., and the type lay is Romein Onder. The configuration also matches the Casse Ordinaire Bas de Casse of Dumont: Vade-Mecum du Typographe (4th ed 1915). Dumont's lay is Casse Ordinaire, and his Upper case is Belgian French Upper.

The Onder case has 52 boxes, and is almost the same as the Plantin-Moretus Klein Canon case, except that has a single box above the d box, and not a double box, and the Kapitalen, which has an extra box above the e box. It is also almost the same as the French Lower of Fertel: La Science Practique de l'Imprimerie (1723), Diderot's Encyclopedia (1751-80), Lefevre: Guide Practique du Compositeur d'Imprimerie (1880) and Muller: Nouveau Manuel de Typographie (c1910), except for having two larger boxes for the ems and ens, rather than four smaller boxes.

The Plantin-Moretus Onder case measures 33 3/8 x 15½ inches. It has the same number of rows as an English or U.S. Lower case, unlike many of the other Onder cases on view in the Museum, which have a half row less, eg Middelbarr, Klein Canon, Klein Romein, Laagen Tekst.

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This page was written in 1998 by David Bolton and last updated 15 April 2009.