Baine's types were first associated with Williamsburg in the 1950's¹ in but it took James Mosley's reference for this information to be discovered and used at Colonial Williamsburg. Baine dissolved his partnership with Alexander Wilson in 1747, ² and moved to Edinburgh. In the 1780s (probably around 1787) Baine and his grandson came to America and set up a foundry in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, very little else seems to be known about Baine and only a singular specimen of his type survives. ³
Specifics:
As the Rinds displayed a tenacious affection for a singular typeface throughout their Williamsburg tenure, Alexander Purdie also used Baine's fonts exclusively during his career. Baine's distinctive letterforms have made the identification of Purdie's unsigned work possible in many cases where the connection may have never been made.
Eleven of Baine's fonts have been identified ranging in size from approximately 11 to 28 points.
