What was the first typeface used on the Linotype?

[Mechanic]

What was the first typeface used on the Linotype?

What I know or believe!

The Mergenthaler Blower Linotype was used to set a number of lines of type on July 3, 1886 at the New York Tribune. When it was first used to set news stories it would be hard to say.

The face was a duplicate of the current face that the Tribune was using.

The image is part of a New York Tribune page published in July, 1886.


CLICk IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW

More pages :- http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1886-07-18/ed-1/seq-1/

The blower was used to typeset "The Tribute Book of Open Air Sports" In 1887. I found a scanned copy of this book on Open Library. The URL is below. Unfortunately parts of the book are blocked and details of the typeface are not available. There is an Edition note that states:-

Edition Notes
"This book is printed without type, being the first product in book form of the Mergenthaler machine which wholly supersedes the use of movable type."

http://openlibrary.org/books/OL14678719M/The_Tribune_book_of_open-air_sports.

You need to read it on line to see the actual typeface

With this information can some smart printer or typographer name that typeface.

[Dave Hughes]

Would it have been one of those fonts named after Greek architecture, like Corinthian or Ionic?

[Dave Hughes]

They had certainly changed their type face (for the headings at least) from the one used in this 1866 edition:

[Mechanic]

A little more help:-

http://www.archive.org/stream/linotypefaces00mergrich#page/n0/mode/2up

I'm torn between two faces, but then I'm no expert. I know it isn't Comic Sans.
Looking at the pages of the sports book the base alignment of the type leaves a lot to be desired. Then it was early days of the Linotype's development.