How the Girisa Vidyiiratna press acquired its fonts: A supplement to the work of Fiona G. E. Ross.

• Author: Hatcher, Brian A.
• Position: Brief Communications

This essay offers a brief supplement to Fiona G. E. Ross's survey of the development of the modern printed Bengali character, by providing information concerning the nature, scope, and provenance of the typeset used by Pandit Girifacandra Vidyaratna at his printing press (established in 1856).

In a carefully researched volume, Fiona G. E. Ross has provided a comprehensive study of the development of the modern printed Bengali character. (1) Ross surveys developments in Bengali printing from the earliest days of moveable type pioneered under Charles Wilkins (1749-1836) to present-day digital typesetting. Her book is a feast for the eyes of any bibliophile, but especially for lovers of Bengali books. As one such reader, I wish to express my gratitude to Fiona Ross for her efforts and, in addition, to offer a brief supplement to one aspect of her history.

In chapter seven of The Printed Bengali Character, Ross turns to the establishment of native type-foundries in Calcutta around the middle of the nineteenth century. Special attention is given to the Girisa Vidyaratna Press, established by Pandit Girisacandra Vidyaratna (1822- 1903), which Ross considers "the first native foundry" (p. 125). (2) As the first indigenous press to attempt the design of Bengali type, the Girisa Vidyaratna Press illustrates some of the factors impinging upon the creation of type designs during this period.

In the early part of the century, the development of type-sets had been influenced greatly by the efforts of local Bengali craftsmen to "unite the two disciplines of writing and engraving." However, the work of these craftsmen suffered both from their "relative inexperience in typefounding" and from the predominant "influence of European traditions of type design" (p. 122). As a result, fonts created in the first part of the nineteenth century tended to replicate patterns established decades earlier by Wilkins. Such continued to be the case at the Girisa Vidyaratna Press, yet Ross also notes that this press was eventually to become competent at producing its own version of stylish and readable fonts.

Just how this development took place Ross is unable to say, noting that "[i]nformation regarding the origins of the many founts (sic) employed in the Vidyaratna Press's imprints is not available" (p. 122). She does, however, venture two hypotheses: first, that some of the fonts may have initially been acquired from other sources, such as the Baptist Mission Press...