Columbian C&M
This Columbian was made by Curtis and Mitchell of Boston between 1878 and 1891. A similar press, the Columbian No. 2, was made with a 6″ x 9″ chase. Neither bear any relation to the Columbian iron hand press.
The Columbian press was invented in 1813 by George Clymer (1752-1834), a Philadelphia mechanic. From 1800 Clymer had been building wooden presses, and then versions of the new iron hand presses from Europe. His Columbian was original, not only for its extravagant design but for its levers and counterweights. Like England’s Earl Stanhope, Clymer was one of the first to significantly improve upon the centuries-old design of the common press. After some experimentation, Clymer came to employ a series of power-multiplying compound levers in his presses, which increased the force of the impression while demanding of the printer relatively little effort. The cast-iron eagle atop the press served as a patriotic symbol while acting as an adjustable counterweight to raise the platen after an impression. The Columbian was well-received in America, though at $400 it cost more than twice as much as a wooden press. But Clymer was not satisfied with the market he found in the United States, perhaps because printers were not yet ready to give up their old wooden presses. In 1818 he took his business to England and found much greater success. His first English presses carried his own name; in 1825 William Dixon joined the company and presses showed both names. From the 1840s, they were manufactured by several dozen companies all over Europe. Although Clymer has made and sold presses in Philadelphia, no American Columbians are known to survive. The Washington press came to occupy the place in nineteenth-century American printing offices that the Columbian and Albion were to hold in Britain. This “super-royal” Columbian was made by Ritchie and Son, Edinburgh, around 1860.
The story of the Colts Armory Press begins with Merritt Gally, a press maker in New York. In 1869 Gally patented his Universal Press, the predecessor of the Colts Armory press. The Universal was manufactured at the Colt’s Firearm Company of Hartford, Connecticut, maker of the eponymous Revolver and known to many as “Colt’s Armory.” Around 1885, John Thompson redesigned Gally’s Universal, naming the new press after the factory in which it would continue to be built. Instead of the rotating-disc inking system found on most platen presses, the compact and powerful Colt’s Armory Press uses a set of rollers, some of which oscillate, assuring superior ink distribution. The press also has a platen which slides and rocks along a rail, rather than pivoting on a central hinge. This allows perfectly parallel travel toward and away from the type bed.
Briar Press
Chicago No. 16
The Chicago press was manufactured by the Sigwalt Company of Chicago. John Sigwalt manufactured a number of presses that were near-copies of some of the popular presses of his time. His presses were made from the early 1900’s until around 1962. This press was made in an even smaller size. The Chicago No.15 has a 1 1/2″ by 2 1/2″ chase. For more information about the Sigwalt Company see the Chicago No.10.
John Sigwalt (1836-1924), born in Alsace, France, came with his family to the United States in 1852. For a while he worked in the sewing machine business; in 1899 he began producing small printing presses that were copies of various models made by other manufacturers. His Chicago Press, a copy of J.F.W. Dorman’s Baltimore 11, was on the market by 1910, and Sigwalt based his Nonpareil 4×6 on William Golding’s 4×6 Official No. 2. As seen in the photo, this Chicago has most of its original detailing. A similar press, the Chicago No.11, was made with two rollers.
The Chicago No. 5 is a rail press that was manufactured by Sigwalt of Chicago (maker of the Chicago No.10 and the Nonpareil 3×5) just after the turn of the 19th century. Rail presses (a modern classification for a type of miniature, or toy press) could print, but just barely.
Centennial
The Centennial, patented in 1875, was made by Joseph Watson before his business was bought out in 1896 by William Kelsey (maker of the Excelsior 3×5 and numerous other presses). The Centennial came in three sizes, from 2 1/4″ x 3 1/4″ to 3 1/2″ x 5″. It cost a dollar and a half to five dollars.
The Caxtonette is a two-roller, self-inking lever press, similar in profile to its sister, the larger Caxton. Both were made by Curtis and Mitchell of Boston, and each features a distinctive weight-, rather than spring-operated, gripper mechanism. In this case, it is the Caxtonette that is the more elegant of the two, with ornate detailing (see photo) on its backside. Edward Curtis and Edward Mitchell were Boston printers, onetime type-founders, and suppliers of printers’ goods. From 1875 they introduced a range of presses, mostly aimed at the amateur market, and continued production through the 1880s.
Edward Curtis and Edward Mitchell were Boston printers, onetime type-founders, and suppliers of printers’ goods. From 1875 they introduced a range of presses, mostly aimed at the amateur market, and continued production through the 1880s. The Caxton, a two-roller, self-inking lever press made by Curtis and Mitchell around 1876, differs from most presses of its type in its distinctive weight-operated gripper mechanism. Most grippers are spring-operated. The press pictured still has most of its original, soft green paint.
There are less than six known surviving printing presses made by the Boston inventor and press maker Stephen P. Ruggles (1808-1880). Ruggles patented his Card & Billhead press in 1851. (No relation to the Card & Billhead made by Boston & Fairhaven Iron Works in 1871.) It was one of a new breed of jobbing presses with the bed and platen more or less vertical, hinged together below their lower edges. Just three years later, Ruggles sold all his printing press patents and his business to the S.P. Ruggles Power Press Manufacturing Company of Boston, which began manufacturing the Card & Billhead press that same year. One of these presses is hidden amongst the rare books collection at Harvard University’s Houghton Library. It has the original maker’s label, plus some old dark green paint with red pinstriping.