Was the Old West Born from the Industrial Revolution?

Big block letters and detailed fonts have always been a sure connection to the culture of cowboys and saloons of the old west. However, this design style originally came from the dark, smog-covered cities of the industrial revolution. Not the sunny plains of the west. The wood type print that originated from this mass production-style of the industrial revolution has become the symbol and design for today's stereotypical wanted posters of the wild west.

Woodtype Poster

The old, or “wild” west has been prevalent in pop culture for quite some time since its emergence after the civil war in 1865. From the stories heard across the country, and the people that were there to experience the era themselves, books, TV shows, movies, and toys and games for children sprung up everywhere. The era only lasted thirty years, and the cowboys --who were actually called cattlemen-- weren't the heroic men that many picture, dressed in clean leathers and ready to ride into the sunset on their noble steed to defend the local town.

E.L Hamilton, an author for the vintage news, describes these cattlemen as a mostly illiterate people who worked hard, dirty jobs. And not only were their jobs dirty but so were the cattlemen themselves. "They wore one set of clothes until they turned into rags, didn’t bathe, or even brush their teeth" states Hamilton.

It was instead Hollywood that created the cowboys and wild west that many know and love today. The lawlessness from the untamed territories after the civil war gave rise to wild, rowdy, unrestrained, disorderly, and unruly behavior. And such behavior made great stories for books, movies, and the classic cowboy and Indian games that children loved to play.

Saloon, 1910

On the opposite side of the spectrum --and the country-- came the industrial revolution. With the improvement of the steam engine, thousands of people swarmed to cities eager to find work in factories in order to make a living. The era of the industrial revolution sparked the era of mass production cheap prices.

This is where wood type came into play.

Broadsides, more commonly known as posters or billboards, were in high demand during the 19th century. That being said, the new technology from the industrial revolution and the printing press created years in the past were able to satisfy those demands. In order to mass produce the type on these broadsides moveable type was needed in different sizes and styles. Because of the material, wood type was half the cost of metal type and was able to greatly speed up the printing process because it very easy to carve and shape and produced a smooth, even surface when used. The broadsides that sprung from wood type were mainly based around events, proclamations, and advertisements, as opposed to the usage of this type in the Hollywood-western posters, which are more famously based around wanted signs.

Wild West Wanted Poster

This brings the question as to whether or not the authenticity of the hollywood-western posters is indeed genuine. On the surface, the comparisons between the origin of wood type and its use during the industrial revolution make it seem like there is no correlation between wood type and the western design used in pop culture. However, the old west last from 1865-1895, and the production of wood type became largely popular around the 1840's and lasted well into the early 20th century. Wood type was produced mostly by Edwin Allen at first and was then further passed around, being developed and used by a number of other people up until the 1900's. Wanted posters, used mainly by law enforcement officials, would have needed to be mass produced in order to get the message out to the public quickly and rapidly.

The best way to do this? Wood type.

So although the Hollywood interpretation of the wild west may have been blown out of proportion, the use of wood type design in recreating this era for the big screen remains validated.

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Sources:

Alchin, Linda. “1881-1913: Maturation Era.” Progressive Reforn ***, Siteseen Limited, 9 Jan. 2018, www.american-historama.org/1881-1913-maturation-era/wild-west.htm.

Farwell, Stephen. “The Wood-Type Poster.” History of Graphic Design, www.historygraphicdesign.com/a-graphic-renaissance/an-epoch-of-typographic-genius/337-the-wood-type-poster.

Ferranti, Seth. “The History of the Most Wanted Poster.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 14 Dec. 2016, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-history-of-the-most-wanted-poster_us_5851ba70e4b0865ab9d4e8d7.

Hamilton, E.L. “The Wild West Era, a Period of Myth-Making Cowboys, Gunslingers, and Saloon Madames, Actually Lasted Only 30 Years.” The Vintage News, The Vintage News, 8 Jan. 2018, www.thevintagenews.com/2017/12/16/wild-west-era/.

“What Is Wood Type?” Hamilton Wood Type Museum, woodtype.org/pages/what-is-wood-type.

Woodland, Kevin. “Mechanical Reproduction.” Graphic Design History. kevinwoodland.squarespace.com/mechanical-reproduction.

Photos:

daughterofthegoldenwest.blogspot.com/2010/10/american-old-west-saloons-11-in-series.html

thelastbestwest.com/posters/