Howard Allen Trafton (1897-1964), [12 almanac sheets] (New York: Printype, 1931). Graphic Arts, Ephemera Collection

The classes offered by commercial illustrator Howard Trafton at the Art Students League and Pratt Institute were regularly wait-listed. “I don’t try to teach my students to do finished work,” he commented. “I try to teach the fundamentals of art—color, composition, arrangement—and these are the same whether you’re going to make an easel painting or an advertisement.”

In 1933, his Trafton Script and other typefaces were cut and sold by the Bauer type foundry (Bauersche Giesserei), which had an American office with Elmer Adler in the New York Times Annex. For examples, see http://luc.devroye.org/fonts-24156.html.

Also in the 1930s, Trafton designed a series of advertising leaflets for the Printype Company. Each month they handed out a calendar with horoscope or appointment calendar with colorful screen prints on the cover. Here are a few brought to Princeton by Adler.