1692-1766

British engraver and type founder who made great contributions to the development of type design and, as a result, bookmaking. William Caslon began his career in London as a toolmaker and engraver of firearms who also cut brass letters for bookbinders. In 1720, he switched to type design and, in 1723, Caslon's foundry opened. The foundry's typefaces were very popular in England and in America, where they were used in 1776 for the printing of the Declaration of Independence.