Ingenious
The Columbian Printing Press
Reference No: ST 38521
Pip Grinter
Walking through store H of Moreland annex there is an impressive array of old printing press’s and associated accessories. Simple press’s involving the downward pressure of a board to elaborate pieces of machinery with several levers and mechanisms. All of these wonderful old contraptions help tell the story of how our modern information age came to being. It was hard not to notice an extremely ornate and beautifully crafted cast iron press sitting near the door. The Columbian press is one of the significant marks in the evolution of the age old art of printmaking. Throughout this written work I attempt to trace the significant social and technical events that shape the history of this press and the impression that it has made to the development of modern printing.
The method of simple image transfer was practiced by primitive people through the use of a stenciled handprints and by tax collectors in Egypt through the repetitious imprint of an object pressed into clay. The method of using carved woodblocks, known as relief printing first took place in AD 25-220 during the Eastern Han period in China. During this time it was used as a method to decorate textiles.
The art of illumination prevailed unchallenged in Europe for centuries. An unforeseeable hindrance to the technical progress of printmakers was the lack of a suitable surface in which to transfer their image. Treated animal skin known as velum was expensive and unavailable to the majority of people. Paper was invented in China before the birth of Christ, attributing to Asia’s continuous history of printmaking not only to produce images but also text made from clay characters in the mid 11th century. It is unclear why papermaking skills took so long to travel to European shores, however most likely involved secrecy between Asian people to help stop this art spreading for centuries.
Conquerors eventually carried the information to Europe during the 10th century and papermaking knowledge eventually reached Europe in the mid 1200’s. Fabriano papermakers of Italy refined the process of using macerated linen rags. Coating paper with a layer of animal glue was referred to as ‘size’ that reduced papers absorbency, this technological advance along with an increasing demand for education and information was a major step forward for the future of printmaking.
In about 1276 the same time that paper was first being produced in Italy, most common people in Europe were illiterate and god fearing. This was due mainly to the teachings of the Christian church which instilled the principle myth of original sin. More concerned of their survival in their simple lifestyle, most people learnt through verbal communication. Written literature was only for the Church and Crown and a selected elite. In France powerful unions such as the Guild of Scribes and Illuminators of the early 1400’s outlawed the multiplying of images except by hand. Limiting legal woodcutting to monasteries. Outside of the religious realm craftsmen who were willing to take the risk would make playing cards and disguise them as tinted drawings.
The Guilds expectation of limiting the copying of images only by hand could not long withstand the pressure and demand for printed media. With paper being readily available and a growing market, woodcutters were incorporated into the Guild of Carpenters. The Guild of Illuminators attempted to sue the printmakers for loss of work in 1513, however were unsuccessful.
The method for producing text in the early days of printmaking was a laborious task. Each letter was hand carved in reverse onto a block of wood. As skilled as these wood engravers were they did not posses the speed to take printing to a highly commercial level. To satisfy the increase in the desire for printed text an innovative German goldsmith Johann Gutenberg took an ingenious step for printmaking. In 1429 he greatly increased the speed of printing by modifying a wooden press and perfecting a method of casting mirror imaged sets of individual letters. “Moveable type” was borne. Metal type was set by hand into pages known as formes these were then inked and printed on single sheets of paper in a hand press. Little “significant” changes were made in the evolution of the printing press after the Gutenberg’s developments until the late eighteenth century and early 19th century inventors began to replace wooden printing press parts with metal. Early wooden relief presses were solid and cumbersome and their reliability reflected the skill level of the joiner who built the press originally. Although wood was used for the construction of relief presses from their early beginnings in China the material often proved unreliable.
In 1800 the first iron printing press was designed and built by Lord Stanhope in England. The press’s construction was made completely from cast iron. The press used a variety of levers to give the pressman more control. The iron press produced cleaner impressions which were ideal for printing woodcuts and large formats.
The Columbian printing press was invented by American George E. Clymer (1754-1834) in 1813. Clymer’s press was designed to print a whole newspaper page using only one pressman. The large crossbeam was linked to the operating lever this was a unique feature of the Columbian. After an impression was made the counterweighted crossbeam would return the platen to its open position. A light pull on the operating handle could print the heaviest of forms. This new principle made the Columbian significantly more efficient to it predecessors. An experienced pressman and his helper could produce an astounding 250 sheets per hour. Aside from its mechanical brilliance the Colombian is renowned as possibly the most ornate printing press ever made. The whole frame of the press is covered in beautiful cast iron decorations. On some of the best kept examples of the Columbian press these emblems are hand painted.
Clymer first advertised his new invention in April 1814. Little interest was shown for the Columbian press on the American market, possibly due to its weight. By 1817 Clymer had left for England and began to manufacture and sell his press on the British market. Although Clymer immigrated to England his press represented strong ties to his homeland. The name “Columbian” was most likely drawn from ‘Columbia’ being a poetic name for the United States. The dominant counterweight was cast in the form of a White Headed American eagle being a further reminder of the ideas origin. The symbolic counterweight featured on the Columbian press appeared to alienate European printers and press manufacturers. Right up until the conclusion of the nineteenth century alterations of the Columbian press appeared with appropriate national insignia that was substituted for the eagle. In 1830 Clymer went into a partnership with Samuel Dixon. A brass plaque situated in the middle of the crossbeam denotes that the press in Moreland Annex was built at Clymer and Dixon’s Finsbury street works. Although an extremely popular and significant piece of technology there are few remaining examples of the Columbian press.
From the development of paper in China to the complex computerize world we now live in the Columbian press has played a major role in shaping printings long and intriguing history. The attention to detail, use of new materials and efficient operation were all factors that made the Columbian press a truly significant object.
Bibliography
Science and Society website, Accessed 31 May 07
www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10234155
Wikipedia Society website, Accessed 31 May 07
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbian_Printing_Press
Print Museum, Accessed 31 May 07
http://www.printmuseum.org/pages/collection.html
Man, J. 2002 The Gutenberg Revolution Headline book Publishing, London
No comments:
Post a Comment