In Adolf Loos’s essays, he touches on numerous design fields, including typography, in his crusade against the ‘false modernity’ of the Secession. In one forceful passage, in order to make his point, he himself gives a false narrative of the origin of a typeface he has used. This article exposes that lie, traces the actual history of the typeface, and explores how Loos’s argument fits within his overriding design and cultural outlook.