Happy Birthday, William T Morgans, born July 2, 1844, Bethel, NY. Morgans was one of the dominant producers & innovators of wood type in the US in the late 1870s, serving as the founding partner of the wood type companies Young & Morgans (1876) and later Morgans & Wilcox Mfg Co (1880). Earliest known surviving specimen catalog (1881) held by Rare Book & Manuscripts Library at Columbia University.
More information posted at “Billy Morgans—the boss typo of the County…” http://www.woodtyperesearch.com/william-morgans
Wood Type Research – “Billy Morgans—the boss typo of the County…”
William Thomas Morgans, was one of the dominate producers and innovators of wood type in the United States in the late 1870s, competing successfully against William Page, Vanderburgh, Wells & Co and Charles Tubbs. He was born July 2, 1844{1} in Bethel, New York to Eleazer and Martha J Morgans. In his life he was a newspaper publisher, job printer, inventor and founding partner of the wood type companies Young & Morgans […]
HBD Darius Wells born 26 April 1800 Kingsboro, NY. He invented the router—a lateral revolving cutting tool—to make the first machine cut wood types. 1st specimen catalog in 1828 co. became D. Wells & Co in 1835 & Wells & Webb in 1839.
He was an active abolitionist, and ran a “station” on the underground railroad in Patterson, NJ helping enslaved humans make their way north to Canada to live as free humans.
#WoodType #router #letterforms #typography #design #bibliography #archives #libraries
HBD Henry P Hamilton born 21 Apr 1862 youngest of 3 brothers, worked with older brthr George at _The Detroit Record_ as a printer & then with oldest brthr James at Hamilton & Baker, later Hamilton Mfg Co Credited patents USD37308 & 37309
http://www.woodtyperesearch.com/hamilton-mfg-672-673
#WoodType #letterforms #typography #archives #libraries #collections #bibliography #TypeSpecimen #TypeDesign #TypeHistory #letterpress #type #design #history #NineteethCentury #19thCentury #patents #uspatents
Wood Type Research – The Hamilton Mfg Co’s No 672 & No 673
No 672 and No 673 were the official, if unimaginative, names used for two patented designs cut exclusively by The Hamilton Mfg Co. Both No 672 (USD 37,308) and No 673 (USD 37,309) were patented on January 31, 1905, after being submitted for review on November 17, 1904. Perhaps most interesting is that both patents were filed by HP Hamilton but not assigned to The Hamilton Mfg Co. Henry […]
Happy Birthday Horatio Nelson Bill born in Lebanon, Conn., USA, March 25, 1824. He worked as a sign painter before (w/ brother Jeremiah) cutting wood type for Edwin Allen. They formed their own wood type company, H & J Bill, in 1850 & moved the company 6 miles north to Willimantic in 1851. It became Bill, Stark & Co 1853, closed in 1854, and was sold to Wm. H. Page in 1856.
Horatio was listed as Type Maker in 1863 & listed variously as a sign-, house-, & fine arts-painter in the 1870s & 80s.
Happy Birthday William Hamilton Page—born in Tilton, New Hampshire, March 14, 1829. Page lived nearly 40 years of his adult life in Norwich, Conn as a wood type manufacturer. Images shown here from 1878 specimen catalog, slightly repurposed from specimen catalog from 1867. Engraving likely created by Charles Tubbs.
More about Page’s life and work at www.woodtyperesearch.com/william-hamilton-page/
Type historians don’t talk enough about how start a research, how to organize materials and informations. I hope my journey as an independent researcher digging in the past of my home country will inspire and support more people to do the same: because so much of the history of type is yet to be rediscovered, made accessible, preserved, archived, narrated. 4/
I’m voting Anne De Marcken’s novella _ It Lasts Forever and Then It’s Gone_ (New Directions Publishing, paperback, 2024) as my favorite read of 2024. It’s a lovely hybrid of genres (speculative fiction, horror, fantasy…) It also won the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction this year. Compelling story questioning what it means to be human, impeccably written.
Pooja Saxena
Sam at BLAG
Amy Papaelias
Marta Bernstein