• intro
    • bios
    • 12 DNA projects
    • callouts
    • our lab
    • contact
  • calendar
    • subscriptions
    • workshops
    • fine press books
    • broadsides & posters
    • cards
    • Cinderella stamps
    • Blank books by Lead Graffiti
    • Blank books by Anne Hessel
    • Tour de Lead Graffiti 2011-15
    • letterpress things for sale
    • New Products
    • STUDIO SUBSCRIPTIONS
    • TECHNICAL LETTERPRESS
    • . . basic type composition
    • . . vandercook
    • . . iron hand press
    • . . floor-model platens
    • . . week-long letterpress
    • CREATIVE LETTERPRESS explained
    • . . meander book online
    • . . werkman druksels
    • . . quotable broadside
    • . . holiday card
    • press rental
    • BOOKMAKING explained
    • . . bookmaking basics
    • . . 6-pocket accordion
    • . . one day one book
    • . . coptic stitch
    • . . clamshell
    • . . paste paper
    • . . bookmaking bonanza
  • blog
  • search
Menu

Lead Graffiti

120 A Sandy Drive, Sandy Brae Industrial Park
Newark DE 19711
Phone Number
a letterpress lab of sorts

Your Custom Text Here

Lead Graffiti

  • about
    • intro
    • bios
    • 12 DNA projects
    • callouts
    • our lab
    • contact
  • calendar
  • store
    • subscriptions
    • workshops
    • fine press books
    • broadsides & posters
    • cards
    • Cinderella stamps
    • Blank books by Lead Graffiti
    • Blank books by Anne Hessel
    • Tour de Lead Graffiti 2011-15
    • letterpress things for sale
    • New Products
  • workshops
    • STUDIO SUBSCRIPTIONS
    • TECHNICAL LETTERPRESS
    • . . basic type composition
    • . . vandercook
    • . . iron hand press
    • . . floor-model platens
    • . . week-long letterpress
    • CREATIVE LETTERPRESS explained
    • . . meander book online
    • . . werkman druksels
    • . . quotable broadside
    • . . holiday card
    • press rental
    • BOOKMAKING explained
    • . . bookmaking basics
    • . . 6-pocket accordion
    • . . one day one book
    • . . coptic stitch
    • . . clamshell
    • . . paste paper
    • . . bookmaking bonanza
  • blog
  • search

William Ibbett? Jack the Ripper?

April 5, 2018 Ray Nichols
180329-casey-smith-ibbett-keepsake-91b-1500.jpg

A good friend, Casey Smith, was invited to deliver his ideas to the 2018 edition of RipperCon, a biennial conference of all things Jack the Ripper, held in Baltimore, April 7 - 8. Casey approached Lead Graffiti about contributing to a keepsake that could be given out to the attendees to generate some excitement for his talk and to add to the Ripperness of the weekend. We thought it was worth a stab.

His talk, entitled William Joseph Ibbett (1858-1934): Poet, Printer, Piquerist, Ripper Suspect?, centers on a 4-line, handwritten poem found in a book in Ibbett's collection.

The writing of a silly fool
who all Commandments use'd to flout
yes, even that eleventh rule,
Thou shalt not be found out
.

The 4th line is underlined and the poem is signed "W.I." Casey's premise was to propose Ibbett as a potential Jack the Ripper by offering the poem along with other circumstantial evidence.

Casey handset the incriminating poem in a period typeface called Packard, which has that nice swash "Th" ligature used at the beginning (see image below). He chose to print the text and a tailpiece in silver, fling a little airbrushing in blood red for a touch of gore, and (with a nod to the poem's original appearance) underline the final line with an old-school-style perforation to round out the visual design.

In the photo at the top, is Ray lurking between the torn-edge masks that were used to create the visual bloody gash.

180329-casey-smith-ibbett-keepsake-81.jpg

Above shows the keepsake in its post mortem state.

180329-casey-smith-ibbett-keepsake-56.jpg

Above you can see Ray's airbrushing in progress as Casey assists with paper handling. The two torn edges creating the sides of the gash were positioned fairly randomly. This adds a singular touch when people sitting side-by-side can see that their particular pieces are unique.

According to Casey, the keepsake received a good gut reaction from the RipperCon crowd.

For students it is worth saying that you should actively seek out projects that will give you some outside-of-class opportunities along with possibly getting a printed piece for your portfolio. These projects also give you one more opportunity to experiment.

Collaborating? Fun. Working with a new subject? Fun. Finding an unusual excuse to use our perforator? Fun. Helping out a friend? Fun. Adding to the overall enthusiasm for a conference of committed people? Bloody fun.

Tags projects
← DCAD's post-Werkman workshopLaboratory Press : metal type composition the old-fashioned way →

Our Lead Graffiti blog is a mass of varied information that is hard to understand. The search option in the top navigation works quite well if you can hit the right keyword (s). In this sidebar, we’ve highlighted some personally meaningful entries that might help if you want to try a couple of entries. To DEEP DIVE, click somewhere in the right column and then scroll down the left column. Also, if you know us, you can try searching for an appropriate word & the word “blog.”

2025

Resist
Liar, Liar.
Just do it!
Bernie Herman

2024

"Ink Pulls:" the hows and whys
Family holiday card workshop
“Liar, Liar.”+3 broadsides @ NAA exhibit
Waldorf diplomas / 2024
More on X-ing the Paragrab
”Concertina spine” book workshop
Lead Graffiti labyrinth
Jill, Ray, & Brodovitch @ the Barnes

2023

Forward for “X-ing a Paragrab”
UCBA member IMHO Meander Mook project
Black History is White History broadside
AIGA / Philadelphia Feedback broadside
Dunya Mikhail “Pronouns” broadside
etaoin shrdlu
Seven Fun Facts about the Linotype

2022

DCAD First-year talks
Cy Twombley. It’s just my opinion anyway.
”No more war. No more Putin.” broadside
Buying our Albion : that story
January 6th assault broadside

2021

Waldorf School of Philadelphia diplomas
Teleport broadside
ONLINE MEANDER BOOK letterpress workshop

2020

A design example of subtle racism
Looking back : Histories of Newark : 1758-2008
Retrospective exhibition at DCAD
Broadside : Black Lives Matter. A lot.

2019

A wonderful film about Ben Joosten
People Were Close (2004 book project)
WHYY-TV / Waldorf School of Philadelphia
What would a good student do?

2018
Alone in Berlin : postcard power
Doves’ type : metal & digital
“Blue Wave” broadside
John Bolton / Lead Graffiti connection
Alan Kitching’s VCUK workshops
U.S. Senators postcard mailing (coming)

2017
Four things you might want to know about Ray
Introducing Stephen Frykholm at AIGA

2016

Saul Bass. A no-show.
Burning Man & Lead Graffiti’s journal
Chris Fritton, The Itinerant Printer
Porter Garnets’s 10 commandments

2015
Best Intertype project #2 : round calendar
The Nash Equilibrium

2014
WHYY-TV’s Best of 2014
London Bombing’s 7th Anniversary

2013
Tour de Lead Graffiti. Sports Illustrated.
Grant Hart. Letterpress printer?
July 4th revolution coasters

2012
Thank You, Craig Cutler

2011
APHA National annual meeting program

2008
Designing Lead Graffiti’s logo
Art Directors Club of NY Grandmasters Award

2004
VCUK’s Alan Kitching letterpress workshops
VC family album pages

2003
Alan Fletcher : Raven Press logo origin
Bukva:raz! - Our first serious piece

2001
Visiting Eric Gill’s Gravesite