Electra (Mergenthaler Linotype, 1935), the second typeface designed by W.A. Dwiggins, is arguably his most innovative. But it did not begin that way. The origins of Electra can be traced back to lettering for books and magazines with a Baskervillean flavor. This talk will look at how those lettering efforts became the basis for type design attempts in the 1920s that predated his work with Linotype and then how the use of stencils transformed his approach to type design in the early 1930s, eventually leading to the creation of Electra. The development of Electra Italic and its abandonment in favor of Electra Cursive will also be investigated as well as the idiosyncratic marketing of Electra.