‘And’, a graphic representation of the ampersand!

In the first century, Roman scribes wrote in cursive, so when they wrote the Latin word ‘et’ meaning ‘and’, they linked the E and T. Over time, the ‘&’ ligature’ came to signify the word ‘and’ in English. Certain older typefaces clearly reveal the origin of the ampersand shape, but nowadays it comes in many shapes and forms creating a decorative logogram. The oversized ampersand used in this print is Goudy Italic.

In the early 19th century, school children reciting the alphabet always ended with the letter & as the 27th letter, or ampersand as it then became known. The name was derived from ‘and-per-se-and’ where ‘per se’ means ‘by itself’, so the alphabet concluded X, Y, Z and by itself &.

This large format, limited edition print celebrates the symbol in a typographic, colourful representation. It was created at the expansive letterpress studio at the North Metropolian TAFE in Perth, Australia, using a 19th Century Colombian press.

Size: 100cm x 66cm
Edition: Limited to 14 (7x Yellow, 7x Green)
Paper: 297gsm Crane & Co 100% Cotton
Ink: (PMS 803 Neon Yellow + PMS 804 Neon Orange), (PMS 802 Neon Green + PMS 801 Neon Blue) + PMS 807 Neon Magenta