Expanded from Susan Colodny’s work in RIT’s Finding Aid, Rochester, 2000.
Expanded from Susan Colodny’s work in RIT’s Finding Aid, Rochester, 2000.
August 27
Ismar David is born at 8:30 a.m. at Freiburgerstrasse 13 in Breslau to Benzion Wolff David (b. December 20, 1870 in Friedrichstadt), an insurance agent, and Rosa David, née Freund (b. January 16, 1875 in Breslau), a former teacher.
September 12
And baby makes five. Sister Selma is born.
July 8
Forty-five-year-old Benzion David is drafted and posted to the Schlesische Train-Abteilung Nr. 6 as a recruit.
Ismar David follows brother Felix (b. February 15, 1909) at König Wilhelm Gymnasium, where Felix is an excellent student. Ismar’s academic career is considerably less successful.
December 15
Benzion David is discharged from service in Etappen Train Eskadron 602. Suffering the effects of malaria, the now Corporal David walks home from Rumania.
To recover from the hardship of wartime, “starving war children” are sent for short vacations with host families elsewhere. Ismar David goes to Prague and Vienna where he runs off with another boy to see Schönbrun. Stays with a family whose housemaid takes pleasure in rising early to create a new dessert for the evening.
At the age of ten, Ismar David has surgery to correct strabismus (crossed left eye).
July 9
Signs (with Benzion David) apprenticeship contract with painter-varnisher Carl Bautz. Father and son are aware that Ismar David will no longer be able to adhere to orthodox religious restrictions.
October 3
Begins classes at Handwerker- und Kunstgewerbeschule zu Breslau. Teachers include: Ludwig Peter Kowalski, Hermann Holscher, Georg Krause, Sigfried Haertel and Gerhard Stein.
Receives intensive private drawing instruction in an artist’s atelier.
First (known) published work, Jüdischer Jugendkalender, Berlin: Jüdischer Verlag 5690 - 1929/30, Cohn, Emil Bernhard, editor, appears.
March 31
Finishes courses at Handwerker- und Kunstgewerbeschule zu Breslau.
October 9
Passes journeyman’s exam as a painter with report of good behavior and sufficient skill.
Begins study of decorative painting at the Städtische Kunstgewerbe- und Handwerkerschule zu Charlottenburg (Arts & Crafts School of Berlin-Charlottenburg). Lives in building owned by his uncle Ismar Freund. Develops close relationship to his aunt Elise and cousins.
January 20
Benzion Wolff David dies in Breslau and is buried in Cosel Cemetery.
March
Ismar David finishes study in Berlin and works for six months as a sign painter.
July 29
Jewish National Fund invites artists to submit designs for the fifth volume of its Golden Book.
November 9
Judges Hermann Struck, Saul Tchernikhovsky and S.A. Van Vreeland award Ismar David First Prize and £35 in competition for the design of Volume V of the Jewish National Fund’s Golden Book.
JNF asks for guidance on execution of Golden Book design. Ismar David offers to travel to Jerusalem to oversee production.
March 22
Leaves for Palestine with a group travelling to the first Maccabiah Games. Has no intention of returning to Germany, if at all possible.
With little demand for decorative painting in Jerusalem, establishes a studio for “Artistic Advertising” on Princess Mary Avenue. Commissions grow to include exhibition work, interior design and graphics.
June 28
The Palestine Pavilion at the World’s Fair (L’Exposition Universelle) in Brussels opens. The first of its three spacious halls displays large charts designed by Ismar David.
June 7
Receives permission from Department Of Migration to remain in Palestine as an immigrant.
November 1
Becomes a citizen of Palestine.
November
Part of a group show at the Cabinet of Arts, Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem, including work of Dr. Seleigmann and Miss Flasheim, bookbinding; Lydia Deutch, raffia bags; David Gumbel, Mr. Wolpet (Wolpert?), Lore Lilien, Mr. Hess, metal work or jewelry; Karl Henschel, commercial graphics; and Miss Keines, weaving.
Begins renting studio space in the basement of 8 Keren Kayemet Street in Rehavia section of Jerusalem at around this time.
Makes proposal to Moshe Spitzer about a family of Hebrew typefaces.
November 12
Desperate after Reichskristallnacht, brother Felix commits suicide with wife and two young children in Stuttgart.
November
Sister Selma and family flee Germany.
March 4
Ismar David departs Cherbourg, France on the Queen Mary to arrive in New York on March 8, to install Palestine Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair. Stays at the Mayflower Hotel.
June 14
He leaves New York on the RMS Aquitania, arriving in Cherbourg on June 20.
Works for three months with Abraham Yemeni, a skilled olivewood carver, to develop modern designs for Mr. Yemeni's craftsmanship, including boxes, cigarette cases, ash trays and book covers.
Part of an informal association, the Jerusalem Group of Commercial Artists, which includes Elly Gross, Franziska Baruch, Emanuel Grau, Zvi Narkis and Eliyahu Koren. Serves as president for unknown period.
January
True to her word that she would not leave Germany as long as she had a child living there, Rosa David finally flees Germany and manages to join Selma in Shanghai.
February
Ismar David shares second prize and LP 10 with Zeev Raban in a competition to design a label for Levant Brewery Ltd. Third prize winners Meir Gur Arieh, Hami Klein, and Private E. Coleman received LP 2 each. Abel Pan chaired the panel of judges.
Selma David Spittel and family emigrate to Australia. Rosa David remains in Shanghai until the Jewish Agency arranges for her departure in 1947.
May-June
Ismar David visits Lebanon and Syria, possibly in conjunction with project for Ellen Thorbecke.
June 4
Ismar David attends the founding of the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot.
February
Places fourth and receives LP 30 in Keren Hayesod sponsored competition for a United Jewish Appeal poster. Elly Gross wins the first prize. The jury includes Mordecai Ardon, Leo Hermann, Yehuda Yaari and two members of the Association of Jewish Commercial Artists in Palestine.
October 16
Arrives in Boston on a Transcontinental & Western flight from Paris. According to an early resume, he comes to study U.S. printing methods.
November 25
Attends Weizmann Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria.
November 28
Seventy-two-year-old Rosa David leaves Shanghai on the General W. H. Gordon, a converted troop transport ship, bound for San Francisco. From there, she travels by train to New York City, where she meets her son, before traveling further to Palestine.
January 12
Arrives at Lydda Airport, after cutting short his American trip to return to his friends in beleaguered Jerusalem.
September
Participates in “Modern Jerusalem Handicraft” at the Bezalel Museum, as part of the “Week of Embattled Jerusalem” program.
November 10
Dedication of the Weizmann Institute of Science at Rehovot, for which Ismar David designs scroll and key.
August 28
Robert Leslie extends invitation (and makes formal request to State Department) for Ismar David to come to U.S. in order to “show newly designed Hebrew alphabets”. Intertype Corporation desires to make the matrices. Exit visa granted in December.
March 12
Arrives in New York on British Overseas Airways Corp Flight BA 507/222 from London to finalize arrangements for David Hebrew with Intertype Corporation.
April 18
Executes agreement in NYC, giving Robert Leslie full power of attorney to negotiate and conclude agreement with Intertype.
May 8
Signs contract with Intertype to produce David Hebrew. On May 11, Intertype authorizes the complete set of final drawings for three Hebrew alphabets.
July 16
Robert Leslie acknowledges receipt of David Hebrew sheets 1-22.
July
Ismar David is serving in Israeli army.
December 17
Robert Leslie sends David Hebrew sheets 23-60 to Intertype.
January 24
Robert Leslie sends David Hebrew sheets 61-117 to Intertype.
March 3
Ismar David arrives at Idlewild Airport on EL AL flight 201/30 from Lod, Israel to design and install industrial exhibitions for Bonds for Israel.
Emigrates to America and begins work in New York City.
March-April
Exhibition at the Jewish Museum in New York, NY.
June 3
Marries Hortense Mendel, publicity director of the Composing Room.
June 8-26
Guest lectures at the Jewish Museum: Designing of Modern Jewish Ceremonial Art.
November 5
Test proof of new matrices of 12 point David Hebrew with italic.
January 19
Test proof of corrected matrices of 12 point David Hebrew with italic.
June 21
Recommended by George Salter and appointed calligraphy instructor in the Art School in Cooper Union, starting September 21, 1954.
February
Begins the first of three years teaching at Pratt Institute.
March 1
Delivers working drawings for “additional matrices for David Hebrew and the italic version.”
Ismar and Hortense Mendel David attend the International Design Conference in Aspen and visit the Pacific Coast.
Participates in the international design project Liber Librorum, to benefit Albert Schweizer.
March 29
Rosa Freund David dies in Israel.
November 15
Ismar David becomes naturalized citizen of the United States.
April 11–June 16
Takes part in group exhibition, Art in Judaism: Past and Present, at the Newark Museum.
June 2
Ismar and Hortense Mendel David attend opening ceremonies for the Bible Gardens of Israel at Woodbridge Cemetery. Guest speaker is Eleanor Roosevelt.
April
Ismar and Hortense Mendel David attend The Art and Science of Typography: An International Seminar of Typographic Design, in New Canaan, Connecticut, organized by the Type Directors Club of New York and the World Affairs Center, New York.
July 15
Intertype calls to say it has finished with 10pt David Medium with Bold. After OK, would proceed with 8pt Medium with Bold. July 22 Intertype sends first proofs of 10pt David Hebrew with Bold, dated July 17, font No. 2908. More proofs from Sept 26. More proofs in October. More dated December 29.
May 25- July 27
Ismar and Hortense Mendel David depart New York on the S.S. Flandre for vacation in Europe: France, Italy, Israel, Netherlands, Great Britain.
Moshe Spitzer chooses David Hebrew for Tarshish edition of S. Y. Agnon’s A Stray Dog. It is the first booklength use of David Hebrew.
April 21
Intertype sends proof sheet of 8pt David Medium with Bold.
October 9
Hortense Mendel David dies suddenly from a heart attack.
June 3
Ismar David arrives in Israel for a vacation.
October 6
Artwork from the 23rd Psalm is displayed at a special service during The Arts Festival, Temple Emanu-el, Yonkers, NY.
October 17
Marries Dorothy Hoffman.
April
His work is included in a comprehensive exhibition of Hebrew lettering, curated by Henri Friedlaender. The show travels from Ein Harod Kibbutz to the Printing Art Museum in Safed and then to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and other places in Israel.
Begins work on No Man Is An Island mausoleum in Pinelawn Memorial Park. Continues to design mausoleums, ground layouts, features and graphics for Pinelawn for more than 30 years.
Students in his evening class at Cooper Union give him Vom Felsbild zum Alphabet by Károly Földes-Papp in appreciation for his instruction.
May 25
Leaves on Type Directors Club trip to London, Edinburgh, Oxford, Salisbury, Cambridge and Paris. Meets Stanley Morison, Beatrice Warde, John Dreyfus, Matthew Carter and Adrian Frutiger.
Cooper Union dismisses its calligraphy instructors, including Ismar David.
Begins association with Geyer Studio.
September 13
B’nai B’rith Klutznick Gallery in Washington, D.C. exhibits Ismar David’s drawings for The Psalms.
Pascal’s Les Pensées, Bloomfield, CT: Limited Editions Club, published.
Selected Drawings by Tully Filmus, Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, is highest scorer in Philadelphia Book Show.
February 4
Exhibition: A Series of 58 Drawings for the Psalms and Ceremonial Objects for the Home at the YM-YWHA Essex County.
Spring
Selma David Spittel visits the U.S.A.
The Psalms, New York: Union of American Hebrew Congregations, published and chosen for “Fifty Books of the Year” by American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA).
March 6
The Typophiles celebrate “Ismar David Day.”
October 16-November 1
Printers’ Pilgrimage to Israel with The Typophiles.
December 11
Exhibition, with Ernst Reichl, in AIGA Gallery (New York, NY), showing both the drawings for the Psalms and Pascal’s Les Pensées.
Included in an exhibition of selected works of calligraphy, 1941-1976, by The Cooper Union alumni and faculty in celebration of the opening of the Cooper Hewitt Museum.
Our Calligraphic Heritage, New York: Geyer Studio, published.
May 28
Selma David Spittel dies in Perth, Australia.
Begins negotiations and various iterations of agreements with Technomark, then Arta/Letraset in 1983/84 for display versions of David Hebrew.
Begins work on a version of David Hebrew for IBM Selectric typewriter. Work proceeds through 1982, when it is aborted.
June
Conducts workshops at The Calligraphy Connection, a calligraphy conference in Minneapolis.
June
Conducts workshops at Philadelphia Conference on the Calligraphic Arts.
September 2
Manager of Grid & Font Manufacture at Stempel, René Kerfante, writes, asking for authorization to produce “DAVID”.
Geyer Studio produces the uncompleted and now lost documentary film,“The Work of Ismar David,” with filmmaker Jeff Keller.
The quarterly Calligraphy Idea Exchange publishes the “Ismar David Portfolio” in the second number of the year.
August 16
Stempel sends first proofs of David Light and Bold.
June
Ismar David conducts workshops at The Calligraphy Connection, again in Minneapolis.
May 1-12
Joins Typophiles’ group trip to Jerusalem, celebrating Robert Leslie’s one hundredth birthday.
May 7
Gives lecture at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem.
May
Facilitates the donation by Stempel to the Israel Museum of his 1984 drawings for David Hebrew.
November 7
Dorothy Hoffman David dies.
Establishes ABCD Architectural and Graphic Studio with Helen Brandshaft.
March-April
Visits Israel, with stops in Europe.
The Hebrew Letter: Calligraphic Variations, Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, published.
June 10
Inauguration of his design for the sanctuary of the Brotherhood Synagogue on Gramercy Park in New York City.
February 26
Ismar David dies in New York, NY and is buried in the Garden of Peace in Pinelawn Memorial Park.
