Adelie Blizzard — A Digital Handwriting Font
Relive the boredom of the Antarctic winter of 1913.
When I first read about the Adelie Blizzard in a historical account of Mawson's Australasian Antarctic Expedition, I was instantly enthralled. This mysterious newspaper was the entertainment and craftwork of overwintering Expeditioneers — an extraordinary historical artefact of its time.
"To prevent boredom and restlessness during early Arctic and Antarctic over-wintering expeditions, leaders often encouraged ‘cultural’ activities, one of the most successful of which was the production of newspapers. Expedition members contributed poetry, short fiction, and literary criticism as well as scientific articles and accounts of their daily activities. … Despite Mawson's efforts, the Adelie Blizzard was never published, and is rarely discussed in any detail in accounts of the expedition." — Dr. Elizabeth Leane, The Adelie Blizzard: the Australasian Antarctic Expedition's neglected newspaper
At the Mawson's Hut Replica in Hobart, I was delighted to discover one of the few reprints of the original book. While the typewritten text was interesting, it was the hand-lettered titles that stole the show — and it occurred to me that with a bit of digital time and a few snapshots, I could turn that handwriting into a usable font.
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adelieblizzard_handwritingsnaps_135401Type anything you'd ever like in 100-year-old Antarctic Expeditioneer handwriting. Upper-case, lower-case, and punctuation are included. The spacing is a little uneven, but see how you go. Experience the magic, mystery, and monotony of the Great Southern Ice Continent.
