Page of Letters “И” and “І” from the Album “Ukrainian Alphabet”

Heorhiy Narbut was one of the most important Ukrainian graphic designers and illustrators of the twentieth century. He is known for designing the Ukrainian People’s Republic seal and coat of arms, banknotes, postage stamps, and illustrating books, including his famous Ukrainian Alphabet. Narbut released two versions of the alphabet: a 14-letter version in 1917 and one with three additional letters in 1919. Due to his early death, the alphabet remained unfinished. The page displayed above features two letters, “И” and “І,” similar to the “I” sound in English. The middle text features words beginning with these letters: “Ива” (willow) and “Іграшки” (toys), each illustrated above. While the Ukrainian and Russian alphabets share many similarities as Cyrillic scripts, the letter “І” is an important distinction between them. This letter serves as a clear visual marker of Ukrainian identity, differentiating the spelling of many Ukrainian words from their Russian versions.