Robert Wiebking (1870–1927) was a German-American engraver typeface designer who was known for cutting type matrices for Frederic Goudy from 1911 to 1926.

Life and career

Robert Wiebking was born in Schwelm, Germany in 1870, he emigrated to Chicago in 1881 where his father worked as an engraver for many companies, including the Marder, Luse, & Co. type foundry. In 1884, Wiebking began working for C. H. Hanson, an engraving company. By 1893 he was in business for himself, cutting type matrices for both the Crescent and Independent Type Foundries. In 1900, with H. H. Hardinge, he formed ‘‘Wiebking, Hardinge & Company’’ which ran the Advance Type Foundry. In 1914 the partnership was dissolved and Advance merged with the Western Type Foundry. After Western Foundry merged into Barnhart Brothers & Spindler, Wiebking began working once again for himself. He then designed type and cut matrices for many foundries and, from 1911 to 1926 (with a few exceptions) he cut all of the matrices for Frederic Goudy's designs were cut by Wiebking. He taught both Goudy and R. Hunter Middleton how to cut matrices.

Typefaces

Typefaces designed by Wiebking

Type Matrices cut by Wiebking