Cast Iron Ampersands

These cast iron ampersands produced by House Industries are perfect for bookends, door stops, paperweights, yes please!

Ampersands..

Lately I’ve had a consuming obsession with ampersands. Seriously. What a sweet little glyph, it's kicky and cute, and the American Typewriter ampersand is tattoo-worthy ;). Perhaps most interesting is the typographic history that ampersands hold. Italic type was developed independently from roman type, and only became a roman subsidiary in the mid-16th century. Italic types were based on 15th century Italian handwriting (hence the name?) and they look thoroughly calligraphic. This is especially apparent in the italic ampersands in many old-style typefaces. It isn’t just a sloped roman, but a totally independent form!

The Ampersand-My New Obsession

I'm not the only one in love with this beautiful symbol. I found a fun site for other people like myself, who are also seduced by the letter form of the ampersand. I suggest you bookmark The Ampersand, the project concept is by Stephen Gose.