Robur
Canada Type · George Auriol
A digitisation of George Auriol's Robur Noir, a heavy French display face from around 1909 that bears a strong visual resemblance to Cooper Black yet predates it by more than a decade.
About
Robur Noir was published by the Peignot foundry as a bolder companion to Auriol's own earlier typeface, appearing some twelve years before Oswald Cooper produced his famous Black. The foundry copy argues that the visual similarities between the two faces challenge the standard historical narrative around Cooper Black's origins. Canada Type's digitisation brings this overlooked precursor back into circulation.
Classification
Digitisation of George Auriol's Robur Noir (c.1909, Peignot); heavy, solid letterforms visually similar to Cooper Black but predating it by over a decade.