civilité

typeface

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Last updated

June 24, 2026

Quick Summary

"Civilité" refers to an early French cursive handwriting style, and also a typeface derived from it. This typeface originated from a cursive black-letter style used in medieval France. It gained its name from a popular children's book, La Civilité puerile, printed in 1536. While intended as a distinct typeface, it ultimately found its niche as a display face rather than for general book printing.123

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black letter
The typeface became known as civilité because it was used to print a popular children’s book, La Civilité puerile (1536), which was written by the humanist scholar Desiderius Erasmus. The typeface was also used in a 16th-century Flemish handwriting book, Nouvel exemplaire pour apprendre à escrire (1565; “New Copy for…
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The typeface became known as civilité because it was used to print a popular children’s book, La Civilité puerile (1536), which was written by the humanist scholar Desiderius Erasmus. The typeface was also used in a 16th-century Flemish handwriting book, Nouvel exemplaire pour apprendre à escrire (1565; “New Copy for…
Read More

typography
France
…also tried—with his type called Civilité—to create a fourth major typeface to be different from and stand alongside roman, italic, and Gothic. He envisioned it as a national type for the use of French printers. Reminiscent of a cursive Gothic, it ultimately found its only acceptance as a display face…
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…also tried—with his type called Civilité—to create a fourth major typeface to be different from and stand alongside roman, italic, and Gothic. He envisioned it as a national type for the use of French printers. Reminiscent of a cursive Gothic, it ultimately found its only acceptance as a display face…
Read More