Communications

WANN Microphone

Tools of communication have transformed American society time and again over the past two centuries. The Museum has preserved many instruments of these changes, from printing presses to personal digital assistants.

The collections include hundreds of artifacts from the printing trade and related fields, including papermaking equipment, wood and metal type collections, bookbinding tools, and typesetting machines. Benjamin Franklin is said to have used one of the printing presses in the collection in 1726.

More than 7,000 objects chart the evolution of electronic communications, including the original telegraph of Samuel Morse and Alexander Graham Bell's early telephones. Radios, televisions, tape recorders, and the tools of the computer age are part of the collections, along with wireless phones and a satellite tracking system.

Resource Type: Printing presses

OK jobber, Kelsey

This platen jobber, with a clamshell mechanism, was made by W. A. Kelsey, about 1891.
Description (Brief)
This platen jobber, with a clamshell mechanism, was made by W. A. Kelsey, about 1891. Its chase measures 9 inches by 13 inches.
William Kelsey made his fame and fortune with small presses for amateurs and children, but for a few years he tried making platen jobbers too, and even a small flatbed cylinder press. His short-lived OK Jobber, introduced in 1887, sold for only $100. The press, criticized as being flimsy and lacking power, was not a great success. But like many lightweight clamshell jobbers of the time, it filled a need and did so inexpensively.
This model was presented in 1891, with a modified frame and a wraparound feed table. The small flywheel (25 inches in diameter) is tied directly to the treadle by a rod. Despite its light frame, the press is heavy in operation.
Purchased in 1985.
Citation: Elizabeth Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
circa 1891
date made
ca 1891
maker
Kelsey, William
Kelsey, William
Kelsey, William
ID Number
1985.0559.02
accession number
1985.0559
catalog number
1985.0559.02
1985.0559.02

Lowe Press No. 2 press

Samuel W. Lowe of Philadelphia invented the Lowe printing press, an unusual conical cylinder press patented in 1856. Like Adams's Cottage printing press, it did not include a frisket and included an automatic tympan.
Description
Samuel W. Lowe of Philadelphia invented the Lowe printing press, an unusual conical cylinder press patented in 1856. Like Adams's Cottage printing press, it did not include a frisket and included an automatic tympan. The rights for the press were sold in 1858 to Joseph Watson, who marketed both presses in Boston and Philadelphia.
The Lowe printing press does not appear to have been as heavily advertised as the Adams, although the company notes that we have sold many presses … to druggists … in this country and in other lands. Every boy and business man seems to be having one.
As for portability, the Lowe was more than a third lighter than the Adams, ranging from between 12 and 120 pounds as compared to Adams's press at between 100 and 400 pounds. The Lowe used a simpler frame and relatively thin castings.
date made
ca 1860
patent date
1856
maker
Lowe, Samuel W.
ID Number
1988.0650.03
accession number
1988.0650
catalog number
1988.0650.03

Gordon Franklin jobber

This old-style platen jobber was made by George P. Gordon, of New York, in about 1863. It was painted green.
Description (Brief)
This old-style platen jobber was made by George P. Gordon, of New York, in about 1863. It was painted green. Its chase measures 6 inches by 10 inches.
The Gordon Franklin was the single most famous and influential jobbing press of the nineteenth century.
George Phineas Gordon (1810-1878) was a printer who started building and patenting presses for job printers beginning in 1850. The most celebrated of his many presses was the Franklin, so called because Gordon, a spiritualist, said that Ben Franklin had described it to him in a dream. By 1858 this press was essentially in its final form, but over the next decades Gordon continued to modify and re-patent it. Upon the expiration of his patents, other manufacturers moved in with their own versions of the press.
This early example of a Gordon Franklin has neither impression throw-off mechanism nor a gate to lock the platen into position at the point of impression, two features used in Gordon’s later presses.
The press was lent to the Museum in 1968 under the catalog number 22318.
Donated by Neal Bezoenik, 1994.
Citation: Elizabeth Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
circa 1858
date made
ca 1863
circa 1863
maker
Gordon, George P.
ID Number
1994.0380.01
catalog number
1994.0380.01
accession number
1994.0380

Hoe large cylinder press No. 82

This large cylinder single-revolution flatbed press, No. 82, was made by R. Hoe & Company of New York in about 1879; it bed dimensions are 19 inches by 25 inches.The first flatbed cylinder presses seen in the United States were English Napiers, imported in the 1820s.
Description (Brief)
This large cylinder single-revolution flatbed press, No. 82, was made by R. Hoe & Company of New York in about 1879; it bed dimensions are 19 inches by 25 inches.
The first flatbed cylinder presses seen in the United States were English Napiers, imported in the 1820s. Robert Hoe copied a Napier in 1829 and produced a large cylinder press of his own design in 1830. Originally his press was to be manpowered, but a few years later it was converted to steam. The Single Large Cylinder proved to be the Hoe Company’s longest-lasting press.
The drum cylinder press was advertised for fine book and newspaper work. But cylinder presses had a reputation for breaking the brittle stereotype plates used in the publishing trade. So, until electrotyping was introduced in the mid-century, publishers preferred to protect their valuable stereotypes with the slower, safer, Adams bed-and-platen machine, and the cylinder press was left with job and newspaper work.
This model would print better than 1,000 impressions an hour. It cost about $1,500 in 1879, when it was purchased new by the Washington printers Judd & Detweiler.
Donated by Judd & Detweiler, 1968.
Citation: Elizabeth Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1879
maker
R. Hoe & Company
ID Number
GA.22944
accession number
281773
catalog number
GA*22944

Offset press: Harris model S4L

This single color sheet-fed rotary offset press, series S4L no. 101, was built by Charles and Alfred Harris, and sold to the Republic Bank Note Company of Pittsburgh in July 1906.
Description (Brief)
This single color sheet-fed rotary offset press, series S4L no. 101, was built by Charles and Alfred Harris, and sold to the Republic Bank Note Company of Pittsburgh in July 1906. Its cylinder measures 34 inches in diameter.
The Harris Automatic Press Company, of Dayton, Ohio was the maker of several successful fast, automatic rotary presses, both letterpress and lithographic. Their first offset press, a development of their type press S4, was among several offset presses produced in quick response to Ira Rubel’s press of 1903, described separately. Serial no. 101 was the first production model of the new line.
The Harris S4L was sold for $4,000, and printed about 3,000 22 x 30 inch sheets per hour. Harris presses were soon the most popular offset presses in the United States.
Donated by The Harris Intertype Corp., 1966.
Citations: “With a Chip on my Shoulder,” an unpublished talk by H. A. Porter given to the Detroit Litho Club, 14 December 1950; Elizabeth Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996.
Date made
ca 1906
maker
Harris, Alfred
Harris, Charles
Harris-Intertype
ID Number
GA.22080
accession number
266310
catalog number
GA*22080

Patent Model for a Flatbed Cylinder Press

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a press with a stationary bed which was granted patent number 15740. The cylinder followed an endless rack that lifted it for the return trip over the bed.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a press with a stationary bed which was granted patent number 15740. The cylinder followed an endless rack that lifted it for the return trip over the bed. This patent covered the Newbury Country Press, a small hand-powered printing machine that was popular with country newspaper shops in the 1860s.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1856
patent date
1856-09-16
maker
Newbury, Alonzo
Newbury, Boliver
ID Number
GA.89797.015740
accession number
089797
patent number
015740
catalog number
GA*89797.015740

English common press

This English common press was made in about 1750. It includes an English box hose and an iron folding candle holder mounted on its off-side cheek; it does not include guide boards.
Description (Brief)
This English common press was made in about 1750. It includes an English box hose and an iron folding candle holder mounted on its off-side cheek; it does not include guide boards. The press has a height of 77 inches a width, at cheeks, of 31 inches and a length of 62 inches; its platen measures 13 inches by 18 inches.
The press was exhibited in the New York Times museum until about 1980, when the museum was dismantled. Its style, particularly its lack of guide boards, suggests a later date than that of the 'Franklin' press. The candle holder is unusual, although not unique among common presses.
Donated by the New York Times in 1983.
Citations: Philip Gaskell, "A Census of Wooden Presses," in Journal of the Printing Historical Society 6, 1970, p. 27; Elizabeth Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
c. 1750-1800
date made
between 1750 and 1800
ca 1750
ca 1750-1800
maker
unknown
ID Number
1987.0637.01
catalog number
1987.0637.01
accession number
1987.0637

"Franklin" common press, replica

This full-size working replica of the 'Franklin' Press was made by ClintonSisson in 1984.The press was made for the exhibition “After the Revolution: Everyday Life in America 1780-1800,” in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, 1985.Purchased from Sisson, Foss &
Description (Brief)
This full-size working replica of the 'Franklin' Press was made by Clinton
Sisson in 1984.
The press was made for the exhibition “After the Revolution: Everyday Life in America 1780-1800,” in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, 1985.
Purchased from Sisson, Foss & Co., 1985.
Citation: Elizabeth Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1984
maker
Sisson, Clinton
ID Number
1985.0717.01
accession number
1985.0717
catalog number
1985.0717.01

Patent Model for a Bed-and-Platen Press

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a bed-and-platen machine, in which the paper and inking rollers were carried on endless chains; the invention was granted number 16221.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a bed-and-platen machine, in which the paper and inking rollers were carried on endless chains; the invention was granted number 16221.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1856
patent date
1856-12-09
maker
Sargent, Charles G.
Keach, Abram
ID Number
GA.89797.016221
patent number
016221
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.016221

Patent Model for a Flatbed Cylinder Printing Press

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a flatbed cylinder printing press which was granted patent number 18744. The small hand-cranked cylinder press included a movable feed table. Paper was fed not to the cylinder but to a flat frisket.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a flatbed cylinder printing press which was granted patent number 18744. The small hand-cranked cylinder press included a movable feed table. Paper was fed not to the cylinder but to a flat frisket. After printing, the frisket flipped up to drop the sheet on the delivery board. Inking was by hand.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1857
patent date
1857-12-01
patentee
Henry, John
ID Number
GA.89797.018744
accession number
089797
patent number
018744
catalog number
GA*89797.018744

Young America "Secretary Press"

This self-inking, bench-top, lever press was is known as a Young America, Circular Press. It was manufactured after 1870 until about 1895 by Joseph Watson, of the Young American Company, in New York.
Description (Brief)
This self-inking, bench-top, lever press was is known as a Young America, Circular Press. It was manufactured after 1870 until about 1895 by Joseph Watson, of the Young American Company, in New York. The press has a height of ?
Like other Young Americans described here separately this press style came in different sizes, each size denoted by a different name. The 4 inch by 6 inch platen press was called the Circular.
Donated by Stan Harris, 2001.
Citation: Elizabeth Harris, "Personal Impressions, The Small Printing Press in Nineteenth-Century America, 2004.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
c. 1880
date made
ca 1880
after 1870
maker
Watson, Joseph
ID Number
2001.0274.01
catalog number
2001.0274.01
accession number
2001.0274

Philadelphia press

This Philadelphia press was made by Frederick Bronstrup of Philadelphia after 1850. The top finial is missing.
Description (Brief)
This Philadelphia press was made by Frederick Bronstrup of Philadelphia after 1850. The top finial is missing. The press has a height of 72 inches a width, at cheeks, of 33 inches and a length of 74.5 inches; its platen measures 22.5 inches by 19 inches.
The Philadelphia press was designed and originally built by Adam Ramage of Philadelphia and, like Ramage’s better-known wooden presses, it was sternly utilitarian in looks. The A-shaped frame was made of a 1 inch by 3 inch wrought-iron band. The earliest Philadelphia presses had a simple elbow toggle lever, similar to that of the Wells press. After 1842 Ramage changed the toggles to a design closer to those of the Washington press. This was one of a group of presses deriving from Ramage’s patent of 1834, and sharing the A-frame.
After Ramage’s death in 1850, his business was taken over by
Frederick Bronstrup, a German blacksmith, who made this heftier
form of the Philadelphia press. Bronstrup sold the business in
1875.
Donated by Wallace J. Tomasini for the University of Iowa, 1984.
Citation: Elizabeth Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
after 1850
maker
Ramage, Adam
ID Number
1984.0427.01
catalog number
1984.0427.01
accession number
1984.0427

Baltimore jobber

This platen jobber with clamshell mechanism was made by J. F. W. Dorman of Baltimore in about 1890; its chase (missing) measures 8 inches by 12 inches.J. F. W.
Description (Brief)
This platen jobber with clamshell mechanism was made by J. F. W. Dorman of Baltimore in about 1890; its chase (missing) measures 8 inches by 12 inches.
J. F. W. Dorman started out as a stencil cutter in 1866, then became a supplier of rubber stamps and stationery material, and carried his business up into boys’ presses in the 1870s, and then briefly into full-size jobbing presses. His shop was lost in the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904. After that disaster the company returned to its original line of office supply.
The Baltimore Jobber—the largest of Dorman’s “Baltimore” name series—has a simple clamshell mechanism, and an unusually massive counterweight to the platen, swinging between the sides of the frame.
Donated by Mr. and Mrs. Otto Donner, 1970.
Citation: Elizabeth Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
circa 1890
date made
ca 1890
maker
J.F.W. Dorman
ID Number
GA.23260
catalog number
GA*23260
accession number
291752

Smith card press

This iron tabletop card press was probably made by R. Hoe & Company of New York after 1848.
Description (Brief)
This iron tabletop card press was probably made by R. Hoe & Company of New York after 1848. The press has a height of 17 inches a width of 24 inches and a length of 29 inches; its chase measures 5 inches by 6.5 inches.
William Smith patented this press for card and label printing in 1842. The patent rights were acquired by the Hoe Company in 1848. In original form the press was self-inking, and had an automatic card drop.
The early history of this specimen is unknown. It came to the Museum under the name “Star card press.”
Purchased from John A. Lant, 1901.
Citation: Elizabeth Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
after 1848
maker
R. Hoe & Company
ID Number
GA.09289
accession number
36751
catalog number
9289

Spy press

This aluminum press came disassembled and packed in a small suitcase. Its maker is unknown, but was made about 1940. The press platen measures 5 inches by 8 inches.The press was cast in moulds for the Kelsey Excelsior, but was not cast by the Kelsey Company itself.
Description (Brief)
This aluminum press came disassembled and packed in a small suitcase. Its maker is unknown, but was made about 1940. The press platen measures 5 inches by 8 inches.
The press was cast in moulds for the Kelsey Excelsior, but was not cast by the Kelsey Company itself. It was made for clandestine military use in World War II, and came to the Museum under the name “Spy press.”
Donated by Richard N. Weltz, 1979.
Citation: Elizabeth Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
circa 1940
date made
ca 1940
maker
unknown
ID Number
1980.0730.01
catalog number
1980.0730.01
accession number
1980.0730

Patent Model of a Bed-and-Platen Printing Press

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a perfecting machine with two printing plates, two platens, and a rotary carrier to convey the paper between them; the invention was granted patent number 14558.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a perfecting machine with two printing plates, two platens, and a rotary carrier to convey the paper between them; the invention was granted patent number 14558.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1856
patent date
1856-04-01
maker
Folsom, George F.
ID Number
GA.89797.014558
accession number
089797
patent number
014558
014558
catalog number
GA*89797.014558

Offset press: Harris Seybold, miniature

This one-twentieth scale model of the Harris-Seybold 4-color sheet-fed offset press dates from about 1950.
Description (Brief)
This one-twentieth scale model of the Harris-Seybold 4-color sheet-fed offset press dates from about 1950. The press has a height of 7.5 inches a length of 32.5 inches and a width of 9.5 inches.
Donated by Lithographers National Association, 1953.
Citation: Elizabeth Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
circa 1950
date made
ca 1950
maker
Harris-Seybold Company
ID Number
GA.20396-a
accession number
1953.198538
catalog number
20396-a

Patent Model for Rotary Perfecting Presses

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a rotary perfecting press which was granted patent number 92050. The patent details improvements to sheet- or web-fed perfecting presses.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a rotary perfecting press which was granted patent number 92050. The patent details improvements to sheet- or web-fed perfecting presses. Instead of being attached to the impression cylinder, the press blanket was an endless web that travelled with the paper and acted as its support. The press was patented in England in 1871 (Patent 1825 to W.E.Newton).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1869
patent date
1869-06-29
patentee
Hoe, Richard March
maker
Tucker, Stephen D.
Hoe, Richard March
ID Number
GA.89797.092050
accession number
89797
patent number
092050
catalog number
GA*89797.092050

Albion press, Ulmer

This bench-top Albion press was made by E. & W. Ullmer of London in 1859; its wooden base was made in the Museum. The press has a height of 27.5 inches a width, at cheeks, of 14 inches and a length of 23 inches.
Description (Brief)
This bench-top Albion press was made by E. & W. Ullmer of London in 1859; its wooden base was made in the Museum. The press has a height of 27.5 inches a width, at cheeks, of 14 inches and a length of 23 inches. its platen measures 7.5 inches by 10.25 inches.
Donated by Joseph Hennage, 1973.
Citation: Elizabeth Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1859
maker
E. & W. Ulmer
ID Number
1988.0650.02
catalog number
1988.0650.02
accession number
1988.0650

Patent Model of a Press for Card and Ticket Printing

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a card and ticket press which was granted patent number 48493. The patent details a self-inking press in which a series of flattened surfaces on a large rotating drum provided multiple platens.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a card and ticket press which was granted patent number 48493. The patent details a self-inking press in which a series of flattened surfaces on a large rotating drum provided multiple platens. The type was suspended face down and lowered against the drum. Paper could be fed from a roll, or placed on the flat surfaces, a card at a time, as each platen approached the type. There was also a numbering device.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1865
date made
ca 1865
patent date
1865-06-27
maker
Sangster, James
ID Number
GA.89797.048493
accession number
89797
patent number
048493
catalog number
GA*89797.048493

Cub press

This children’s tin-plate rotary press used rubber type. It was made by the Superior Marking Equipment Company of Chicago in the mid-twentieth century.
Description (Brief)
This children’s tin-plate rotary press used rubber type. It was made by the Superior Marking Equipment Company of Chicago in the mid-twentieth century. The press has a height of 3.5 inches a width of 6.5 inches and a length 8.5 inches.
The press is a smaller edition of the Ace press, described separately.
Donated by Barbara Suit Janssen, 1992.
Citation: Elizabeth Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996.
date made
mid 20th century
ca 1961
maker
Superior Marking Equipment Co.
ID Number
1994.0383.01
catalog number
1994.0383.01
accession number
1994.0383

Cincinnati Type Foundry Army press

This Cincinnati Type Foundry Army Press was invented in 1860 and was sold during the American Civil War and until at least the 1910s; it is marked 'Cin'ti Type Foundry.' The press has a height of 15 7/8 inches a width of 33 inches and length of 27 inches.The mechanism for the pre
Description (Brief)
This Cincinnati Type Foundry Army Press was invented in 1860 and was sold during the American Civil War and until at least the 1910s; it is marked 'Cin'ti Type Foundry.' The press has a height of 15 7/8 inches a width of 33 inches and length of 27 inches.
The mechanism for the press was invented by Henry Barth, foundry manager from 1861, who later invented an automatic type caster that revolutionized the manufacture of type later in the 19th century. The press is believed to date from about 1875 especially as it is marked as a 6-column size, indicating post-war manufacture.
The Cincinnati Type Foundry (CTF) of Cincinnati, OH, began manufacturing these presses in 1862 for the Union Army. The Foundry ceased production after the war, but because of popular demand resumed production soon afterward. The small, portable presses later became popular in the West and throughout the United States.
The CTF Army Press had adjustments for pressure and feeding the paper and allowed for more precise control. It worked more like the operation of a full-sized press and was offered in several sizes to print different newspaper formats. Other manufacturers of the time made variations on this style of press, as it was not protected by patent, and variations continued to be offered in supply catalogues as late as 1912.
Description
Henry Barth of the Cincinnati Type Foundry designed this cylinder press, known as the Army Press, for use by the armed forces during the Civil War. To make up for lost business early in the war, the Foundry also manufactured bullets for the State of Indiana and Gatling guns used in the New Orleans campaign.
The Army Press was listed as resembling the modern common hand press in having ways, bed, tympan and fisket and a rotating cylinder that, unlike the Adams's Cottage press, moved with the press bed.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1862
ca 1860
inventor
Barth, Henry
manufacturer
Cincinnati Type Foundry
ID Number
2005.0133.01
accession number
2005.0133
catalog number
2005.0133.01

"Franklin" common press, scale model

This one-fourth scale model of the 'Franklin' common press, described separately, was made by Richard P.
Description (Brief)
This one-fourth scale model of the 'Franklin' common press, described separately, was made by Richard P. Heitzenrater of Dallas, Texas in about 1985.
The replica model recreated the plans for the 'Franklin' press described in volume two of Elizabeth Harris's "The Common Press" (London: Merrion Press, 1978). The wood was originally used in pews from the Church of St. Margaret in London's Westminster Abbey and were removed as part of a remodeling project in the nineteenth century. They were then sold to an individual in Dallas, Texas.
The press is a working model constructed by Mr. Heitzenrater when he served as curator of Early English Printing in the Methodist Collections at Bridwell Library at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
Donated by Richard P. Heitzenrater, 2013.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1985 - 1986
ca 1985
maker
Heitzenrater, Richard P.
ID Number
2013.0320.01
accession number
2013.0320
catalog number
2013.0320.01

Patent model for rotary web perfecting press, with folding apparatus

This patent model demonstrates an invention for the Duplex Printing Machine which consisted of two printing machines working in unison to produce two perfected sheets at a time, and then fold and deliver them as one product.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for the Duplex Printing Machine which consisted of two printing machines working in unison to produce two perfected sheets at a time, and then fold and deliver them as one product. This patent was granted number 195115; it was purchased by and assigned to R. Hoe & Co.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1877
patent date
1877-09-11
patentee
Ford, Edward L.
ID Number
GA.89797.195115
patent number
195115
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.195115

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