The typographic repertoire of Tipografia Hennies: contributions to São Paulo city graphic memory

• Grant number: 19/07566-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: August 01, 2019
• End date: October 07, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Industrial Design - Visual Programming
• Principal Investigator: Priscila Lena Farias
• Grantee: Jade Samara Piaia
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo (FAU). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 21/10507-1 - The Hennies' print shop typographic repertoire: from Germany to São Paulo, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

Despite having started its activities only in 1827, the São Paulo city printing sector expanded, mainly in the XX century, setting the capital as an editorial and printing pole, with letterpress and lithography printing shops, and clichè factories. There is a shortage of records and still many gaps in the field of studies on graphic artifacts produced in this first century of printing with movable types in Brazil and more specifically in São Paulo. It is in this context of letterpress printing in São Paulo, from the late 19th to the 20th century, that the Hennies printing shop, which is the object of this research, is inserted. The company was founded by German emigree Heinrich Hennies and his brother Teodoro Hennies in 1891 and was passed on to three generations of the family until it closed down in 1992. In order to collect data on São Paulo city typographic production, and in particular on Hennies letterpress printing shop, this research aims to uncover the company typographic repertoire, investigate its origins and influences, during its centennial trajectory and to contribute to studies on graphic memory and material culture within these geographical and temporal boundaries. Primary sources, such as printed publications, books, journals, magazines and graphic supplies catalogues can reveal important data on the artifacts produced by this printing shop and on the available typographic repertoire. The Hennies family heirs private collection, composed of documents and photographs, as well as interviews granted by the last owner of the company are important sources of data about the trajectory of this company, which are of great importance to understand how the graphic field of São Paulo was set up.