Restriction triumphed in the 18th century political, emotional and social landscapes, as many favored the regimentation and strictness associated with classicism. These ethics permeated European society and grasped the early settlers in America so tightly, one could only find freedom in death.
The ground is close to frozen as I stand in the Sherborn Cemetery, an old graveyard which protects the remains of the town’s earliest settlers, dating back to the early to mid-1700’s. The grass is so brittle, I feel each blade snap under my feet as I visit each gravestone. Each is carved by hand and includes images and typography. “Here lyes buried... body of... HENRY LEELAND...” The constricting coldness chills me to the bone as I visit the gravestones of the Leelands, the Crackbones and their neighbors.
The typography is a serif font typical of the time, related to Caslon. While most of the words are legible, I find the delicate letters have worn over time, and the gravestones have lost important information — the year, or an anecdote about the person.
“Octobr 29th” does not sit on one baseline. The “Octo” sits by itself with a lovely ligature connecting the “c” to the “t.” Meanwhile the “br” balances above the “o,” careful not to slide off. The same goes for the “th” that sits on top of the “9.” If the whole word does not fit on one line, why not abbreviate? or carve the date numerically? I am drawn to the sense of playfulness and freedom used to carve the words, an unnatural inclination to us in our modern, computer based world. However, if you can still determine the order of the letters, you can still read the word. It reminds me of a Christmas card I saw recently at the Paper Source, the letters crammed in, balancing on top of one another.
Most of the gravestones have a “death’s head”— a grinning winged skull carved into the top of the stone. Traditionally a symbol of good luck, the family of skulls grinn, almost suggesting a release from all earthly troubles and restraints, found in death. It’s as if the yearning for freedom, indicated by the wings, is also expressed through the chosen layout of typography.