Sprigs, Leaves & Flowers: Stenciled Ornaments from W.A. Dwiggins

An exquisite box set of notecards featuring a charming selection of handmade modular stencil designs from the beloved American typographer

In the late 1920s, graphic designer William Addison Dwiggins (1880–1956) developed a rhythmic and delicate visual language composed of tiny geometric elements. He cut these modular shapes into cellophane stencils and used them to create wonderfully complex illustrations in his book designs, including abstract typographic ornaments, elegant architectural motifs, intricate page borders and delightful all-over patterns. Dwiggins referred to his organic yet graphic vignettes, which he first experimented with in woodblock printing and stamping, as "sprigs, leaves and flowers." Shared in vibrant colorways from a 1928 booklet of paper samples created for S.D. Warren Paper Mill, Dwiggins’ lively graphic embellishments have found a new home in this suite of 20 unique notecards with accompanying envelopes. Historical photographs inside the keepsake box lid give a glimpse of Dwiggins’ handmade tools and his elaborate process.