The earliest Ionic™ Italic types - slab serifs also known as English Egyptiennes - were introduced in 1821 by innovative British punchcutter and typefounder Vincent Figgins. The first Ionics were workhorse faces developed for display purposes. More restrained, text-friendly variations appeared in 1863, with higher-contrast letterforms and 'bracketed' serifs (where a curved connector attaches a serif to a stroke). Refinement of the Ionics continued, but the trademark strength of the Egyptian class survived. The end result was a design well-suited for newspaper text, and its introduction into the production process changed the face of news typography worldwide. A 1932 cut from the Monotype Type Drawing Office, this Ionic Italic boasts a large x-height and strong lines, and remains a nostalgic favorite for text typography. Character Set: Latin-1