[3 stencils made by W.A. Dwiggins + his handmade knife]

Stencils are magical things. Cut a shape out of something and one can reproduce that shape one zillion times. The stencils we have here are extra-magical as they were made by W.A. Dwiggins. He was a prolific stenciler, using them to create ornaments, illustrations, and lettering for thirty years. All of his stencils, now brittle and broken, are at the Boston Public Library—except (apparently) these three. They were given to Boston calligrapher Ed Karr on September 18, 1943. One shows two ornamental initials he used for mailings for the Manuscript Society, another features some ornaments, and a third shows parts for modular letters and a monogram for “CPRR.”

Although the work of a Dwiggins is not hard to find, the stencils themselves are rarely seen due to their fragility and the fact that they’ve all been held in one location. We’re not aware of them having been reproduced in detail in books or magazines. (That said, there is plenty we are not aware of.) Although our photographs suggest that these are paper-based stencils, they are actually some sort of acetate—which was not his preferred medium as they would tend to react to humidity. His preferred celluloid became brittle with time. And we get to see here his method of drawing out structures and guidelines.

Even neater is a knife for cutting stencils made by Dwiggins. He made his own stencils, so he of course made his own tools. Figure it’s at least seventy years old. It is still sharp enough to do some serious damage. Handle with care!

An incredibly special set of things, rarely seen and hardly ever encountered outside 700 Boylston Street in Boston.