We have a small 24 point font of this great shadow type. Ours is stamped Chicago Type Foundry, but their catalog, that of the Marder, Luse & Co., does not have it listed in copies I was able to find. It is found in the Cleveland Type Foundry Catalog and the H. H. Thorp Mfg. Co. Catalog.
We used it in our 2019 Christmas Card to set the greeting “Merry Christmas”.
Have identified a slightly bolder version of this as Keystone Type Foundry’s Ancient Gothic (1891) by William W. Jackson. I can’t see that there were light or other versions of it. Is there some other style I’m overlooking?
We note here with great sadness the passing of Jim Tshudy on July 18, 2019, a great friend to the Historical Society of the Cocalico Valley and especially to the print shop and those of us who continue the work there. To me personally he was an inspiration and mentor from when I was a teenager poking around the museum and he encouraged me to take on projects there. He’s been sorely missed already as his visits diminished and stopped in the past few years and it’s heartbreaking to know they’ve ended. We can do no more to celebrate Jim and his contributions more than to keep the presses rolling and raise a print and a pint in his honor from time to time. Thanks for everything “guy”.
I attended the 2019 Annual Gathering of the Thoreau Society in Concord, Massachusetts as I have for several years, but this year I presented a talk on “Printing Thoreau on Period Equipment” and set up my own Sigwalt Nonpareil press for participants to print a Thoreau quote for themselves. We also offered for the first time copies of our new tiny book Thoreau’s Library. (More on a later post.) They will be available at the museum and print shop for a donation.
I had a great time on Saturday, June 29, at the Ephrata Cloister during a large craft show there. Many people came by and printed a card on my Sigwalt press. Talked with guys who printed in High School shop classes, people with printers in their family history, and future letterpress hobbyists.
One of the type faces we have likely from the 1800’s. Designed by Hermann Ihlenburg for Mackellar, Smiths, & Jordan. We have it in 36pt.
Harry Stauffer, who first employed the Ramage/Bronstrup press which is the feature of our print shop in demonstrating the old ways of printing, always said that the press once printed the Terre Hill Times. Just recently I started reading the copies on microfilm in the Society’s library for clues to the history of the press.
The Times was printed by at least two generations of the Cake family, a surname which makes Google searches for historical information very difficult. So far I have located where the Cakes had their shop in the 1894 and some genealogical information about Oscar, Anna, and W. O. The Times was published for 50 years from 1892 until 1942.
Research continues. Harry bought the press in 1953 from Clarence D. Herr of Sheridan, Pa. While the town name appears in various parts of Pennsylvania there is one near Newmanstown in Lebanon County and there is evidence on the press that a Lebanon event was printed on it.
Come to Havre de Grace on Saturday, April 27 from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm to see us and other letterpress printers and organizations. There’s a vintage pyrex fair going on nearby as well. Click here for more information.
