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The Elevator Only Goes Up, Jordan Mitchell
The Elevator Only Goes Up, Jordan Mitchell
Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar
Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides
Artist's narrative: This letter takes Paul Laurence Dunbar back to when he was not proud of his work. In high school, he thought all of his writing was one big joke. He could not afford much, which led to him being forced to take a job as an elevator hopper. In the end, it was a situation that should be seen as a positive. When talking in the elevator with people, he was able to learn how they spoke and put it into his writing. …
Come In, A Very Clever, Aaron Swerlein
Come In, A Very Clever, Aaron Swerlein
Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar
Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides
Artist's narrative: The typeset I chose was in the families of Ten Oldstyle VF, designed by Robert Slimbach, and PestoFresco, by Giuseppe Salerno and Paco Gonzalez.
In letter 198, Paul Laurence Dunbar is sitting in his bed suffering from tuberculosis as he writes a letter to Dr. Fisher. Throughout this letter, Dunbar writes about how he isn’t able to do much because of the tuberculosis disease in his lungs. Dunbar wrote this letter the year before he died, letting Dr. Fisher know his whereabouts and …
The Act, Erin Doherty
The Act, Erin Doherty
Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar
Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides
Artist's narrative: Letter 121 explores the struggles Paul Laurence Dunbar faced with alcoholism and the scrutiny he received for his illness. As Dunbar writes an apology letter to Professor P.M. Pearson for his absence due to excessive drinking, his sincere apologies shine through. Dunbar explains how he is aware that his apology can’t erase showing up to a recital intoxicated, which led to his career being tarnished; however, he still asks for forgiveness. The imagery was created with an ink-water solution. This allowed for an …
The Gratitude I Really Feel, John Maloney
The Gratitude I Really Feel, John Maloney
Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar
Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides
Work displayed here as a diptych
Artist's narrative: In Letter 10, Paul Laurence Dunbar articulates his gratitude to a friend, Dr. James Newton Matthews, on the day before Thanksgiving. Matthews was a doctor and poet and one of the cofounders of the Western Association of Writers (WAW). When Dunbar read his poetry at the annual conference of the WAW, Matthews was so impressed that he wrote a newspaper article about him. The story was widely republished, bringing greater attention to Dunbar and his work. This …
Growing Pride, Elaina Doggett
Growing Pride, Elaina Doggett
Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar
Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides
Artist's narrative: Letter 166 unfolds Paul Laurence Dunbar’s reaction to a critique he had received by Booker T. Washington regarding "Tuskegee Song," which Washington commissioned Dunbar to write. In this song, Dunbar discusses the triumphs and tribulations of the past, present, and what would come in the future. The poster title “Growing Pride” represents both the South’s pride and Dunbar's. He was unapologetic in his response to Washington and stood firm in his beliefs that his original writing was most effective. The imagery is a …
Similar Flow, Quinn Heisey
Similar Flow, Quinn Heisey
Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar
Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches deep, 2-sided
Medium: Inkjet on matte paper
Artist's narrative: Contemporary readers of letter 121 are hearing from the great Dayton poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar, in a declining state and nearing his 1906 passing from tuberculosis [diagnosed 1899]. Dunbar's illness necessitated treatment in a time before antibiotics, and the popular treatment was to use whiskey to manage extreme pain. This contributed to Dunbar’s addiction to alcohol, which is context for the sometimes unclear nature of events and decisions of his that warranted Dunbar to issue this response.
The letter has moments of self-disparaging humor or …