Vincent Figgins

Vincent Figgins
Signature of Vincent Figgins, 1793[1]
Born1766
Died29 February 1844 (aged 77–78)
Peckham Rye, England
Resting placeNunhead Cemetery
Occupation(s)Typefounder, Councilman of the City of London
SpouseElizabeth
Children6, including James

Vincent Figgins (1766 – 29 February 1844) was a British typefounder based in London, who cast and sold metal type for printing. After an apprenticeship with typefounder Joseph Jackson, he established his own type foundry in 1792. His company was extremely successful and, with its range of modern serif faces and display typefaces, had a strong influence on the styles of British printing in the nineteenth century. A successor company continued to make type until the 1970s.

Figgins introduced or popularised both slab-serif and sans-serif typefaces, which have since become two of the main genres of typeface. He was also involved in local politics as a Councilman of the City of London.