Alfred Fairbank | |
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Born | Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England | 12 July 1895
Died | 14 March 1982 | (aged 86)
Education | Central School of Art and Design |
Known for | Calligraphy, Handwriting, Palaeography |
Style | Italic Script |
Parents |
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Relatives | Elsie Kneeshaw |
Website | fairbankcalligraphysociety |
Alfred John Fairbank CBE (12 July 1895 – 14 March 1982) was a British calligrapher, palaeographer and author on handwriting.[1][2]
Fairbank was a founding member of the Society of Scribes and Illuminators in 1921, and later became its honourable secretary.[3] He was involved in the foundation of the Society for Italic Handwriting in 1952; his work and 1932 textbook A Handwriting Manual were influential on the italic script handwriting taught in British schools.[4][5] His portrait was painted by Anna Hornby.[6][7] For Penguin Books he wrote A Book of Scripts, on handwriting styles.[8]
Fairbank was a civil servant who spent his professional career working at the Admiralty in London and Bath; he retired to Hove on the south coast and lectured at what is now the University of Brighton after his retirement.[9][10][11][12] Fragments from medieval manuscripts collected by Alfred Fairbank are located at the Cadbury Research Library of the University of Birmingham.[13]
At the instance of Stanley Morison, he [Fairbank] designed in 1928 the elegant compact typeface known as Narrow Bembo, a title he detested.
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