14 Henrietta Street: Grandeur and Decline, 1800–1922

14 Henrietta Street: Grandeur and Decline, 1800–1922 is the first in a series of history books produced for 14 Henrietta Street tenement museum. Each book in the series covers a specific period in the building’s history. The individual hardback editions run between 84–96 pages; format/dimensions are approximately 170 × 240mm.

The editorial team – that includes Lian Bell, Melanie Wright and CEO, Iseult Byrne – wanted these books to ‘continue the visitor experience’ following guided tours of the museum.

The books are richly illustrated with diverse and contrasting visual material – artefacts, archive prints and photographs, architectural maps and drawings, and stunning contemporary images of the building’s interior by Ros Kavanagh.

The accessibility of this image-led approach extends to the typographic styles used throughout. Continuous text is typeset in a genial grotesque typeface (at an exaggerated reading size). Complementing this, chapter openings and image captions are typeset using a low contrast serif typeface.

An abundance of visual character is etched into the walls and surfaces at 14 Henrietta Street. The deep relief deboss of the title on the cover subtly references the endurance of these physical interventions. Similarly, the vibrant blue accent colour, used throughout, directly references the ‘Reckitt’s Blue’ paint that has been preserved on many of the interior walls of the museum.