Broadway is the Art Deco typeface. Not just a pastiche of the era, but the actual face designed in 1928 by Morris Fuller Benton (1872 -1948)*, type designer and in-house designer with American Type Founders (ATF). It wasn’t meant to become the archetype of anything, but its popularity throughout the depression until 1954, when ATF discontinued it, provided its cred.
There were arguably dozens of faces linked to the deco or l’art moderne period. But nothing symbolized the jazz age like this face. And what a great name too: Broadway is where it was all happening in quick-time.
It’s one of my favorite typefaces when used in CAPS (originally made only as caps), still, I’ve used it incorrectly for ages, even in CAPS.
My own feeble attempt at Deco typography. Andy liked it for 15 minutes.
**Benton developed over 200 alphabets, all published by ATF, including Century roman (with Theodor Low de Vinne, 1885), Mariage (1901), Alternate Gothic (1903), Franklin Gothic (1903–12), Cheltenham® (1904), Clearface® (1907), News Gothic™ (1908), Bodoni (1909), Cloister Oldstyle (1913), Souvenir® (1914), Garamond® (with T. M. Cleveland, 1914), Goudy™ bold, 1916, Century Schoolbook™ (1919), Civilité (1922), Broadway™ (1928), Bulmer™ (1928), Bank Gothic (1930), Stymie (with S. Hess and G. Powell, 1931), American Text (1932).
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