Abstract/Summary

This study is a recollection of stencil letters and associated artefacts of the past four centuries. It begins with a definition of stencil letters and a review of their presently known historical applications, then focuses on three inter-related factors that contribute to the forms of stencil letters. These factors are ‘methods of manufacture’, ‘use’ and ‘design’. The discussion is guided by documents and references that address stencil letters and the stencilling of texts and other graphic matter, by the analysis of extant artefacts, and by insights gained through reconstructions.