Gaspipe Lettering
This style of lettering was most common in the 1930s–50s, but regularly used up to the 1980s. It’s typified by a simple, almost modular construction of even strokes and rounded corners on a rectangular grid (think pipes!). American signpainters called the standby style “gas-pipe”, and it was a speedy way to get clean, simple letters up on a board or wall. The shapes are easy to learn and quick to produce and space. Flat- or round-topped ‘A’, ‘M’, and ‘N’s are common. Sometimes strokes end at a jaunty angle, but usually these alphabets are fairly straightforward throughout.
Fonts
Instructional Models
Ross F. George, Speedball Text Book, 16th Edition, 1952
Ernst Bentele, Schrift, ca. 1953
Ernst Bentele, Schrift, ca. 1953