About this collection
Previously the Virginia Center for the Book's Book Arts Program, the Virginia Book Arts' (VBA) type collection is the largest public collection of movable type in the mid-Atlantic region.
VBA is the current member-run, non-profit version of an organization that's existed under several names for over three decades. Its previous home was the Virginia Center for the Book (ended after grant defunding, early Summer 2025). VBA secured a new physical space in Fall 2025 and became a non-profit under the fiscal sponsorship of Richmond's excellent Studio Two Three—you can read more on VBA's website, or join VBA's listserv to hear first when the space opens to the public and restarts workshops and community events (scroll to form at bottom of vabookarts.org).
VBA's collection consists of 446 unique catalogued typefaces in 15 full type cabinets; a large four-column galley organizer where each galley holds many galleys of uncounted new, unopened foundry type; and a large, ongoing loan of larger-size wood type from a past Italian type foundry awaiting maintenance. Much of the type in VBA's cabinets is represented by well-designed specimen prints in the Speaking in Faces volume.
Type Families
(e.g. "Bodoni")
(>42pt or 29p)
Photo gallery
Collection Photos
Once the database work is complete, this will change to a labeled and organized gallery that lets you click into details about the type in each photo. For now, please enjoy this sampling of unlinked photos from the type collection:
Amanda Wyatt Visconti and Josef Beery photographed every open typecase during a short-notice documentation sprint.
Type database
Browse the Type Collection
The VBA type inventory/database/website by Amanda Wyatt Visconti was built on documentation work by Kevin McFadden, Garrett Queen, Kristin Adolfson, Josef Beery, Visconti, Richard Cappuccio, and other past and present VBA members. Browse the database below once it is live; descriptive, evaluative, and historical details will be searchable and filterable by typeface name, size, material, case location, and condition.
| Typeface / Face Name | Size (pt) | Material | Case / Location | Condition | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Database in progress — check back soon | |||||
Full browsable database interface coming soon as part of the Movable Feast project.
Credits
Credits & Thanks
- Photography & documentation: Amanda Wyatt Visconti and Josef Beery
- Inventory creation & maintenance: Kevin McFadden, Garrett Queen, Kristin Adolfson, Josef Beery, Amanda Wyatt Visconti, Richard Cappuccio, and other past and present VBA members
- Organization: Virginia Book Arts, under the fiscal sponsorship of Studio Two Three