Originally released in 1927 as a single – heavy and wide –
weight with an extra set of caps adorned with spikes. In 1934,
Wagner made their version of the then popular simplified Gotisch,
or Schaftstiefelgrotesk, and re-used the name of their
older release. The three added cuts (mager, halbfett, schmalfett)
are only vaguely related to the initial one, which is used for the
sample.
Some sources credit the design to Berthold Wolpe, but that is disputed and
unlikely. Wetzig lists it as in-house design [Wetzig 1926–40], and Wolpe himself doesn’t
mention it in a list of his typeface designs [Fowler]. It might be
a mix-up with his Sachsenwald.
All four styles plus the decorated caps of the original weight
were digitized by Gerhard Helzel (2009–2013). Peter Wiegel did a
rough version the schmalfett as Grobe
Deutschmeister (2014). Ralph M. Unger issued another
digitization of the schmalfett as Deutschmeister
Bold Condensed (RMU, 2017). See also Ralf Herrmann’s
free digitizations More…
Originally released in 1927 as a single – heavy and wide – weight with an extra set of caps adorned with spikes. In 1934, Wagner made their version of the then popular simplified Gotisch, or Schaftstiefelgrotesk, and re-used the name of their older release. The three added cuts (mager, halbfett, schmalfett) are only vaguely related to the initial one, which is used for the sample.
Some sources credit the design to Berthold Wolpe, but that is disputed and unlikely. Wetzig lists it as in-house design [Wetzig 1926–40], and Wolpe himself doesn’t mention it in a list of his typeface designs [Fowler]. It might be a mix-up with his Sachsenwald.
All four styles plus the decorated caps of the original weight were digitized by Gerhard Helzel (2009–2013). Peter Wiegel did a rough version the schmalfett as Grobe Deutschmeister (2014). Ralph M. Unger issued another digitization of the schmalfett as Deutschmeister Bold Condensed (RMU, 2017). See also Ralf Herrmann’s free digitizations FDI Altmeister (original style, 2021) and FDI Neumeister (schmalfett, 2021).