#vandercook #letterpress #print #printmaking
This is the triple crossing in Richmond, VA - the only place in North America where trains from three railroads may simultaneously cross over the same spot at different levels. I made this woodblock print of the triple crossing some time ago..
(Source: tetsudou546)
Composing
Newly arranged print wall at the Cooper Union’s letterpress studio. Two of my prints made the cut. Cool beans.
“The King of the Tramp Printers”
Adventures of a Tramp Printer: 1880-1890
John Edward Hicks
When I first read this, I was struck by the phrase “when he dumped a take, it would lift”. What exactly was a take? And how did it lift? I couldn’t quite figure out what it meant outside of my own conjecture. After several weeks of searching, and researching I got an opportunity to speak with Carl Schlessinger, who was one of the last linotype operators at the New York Times. He explained that a “take” - during the days of handset type - was a portion of copy - say a column or two in a newspaper - that was set in a chase. When it was set perfectly, with proper leading and spacing and whatnot, one could lift the chase up by the edges and the outward pressure of the tightly set type would not fall out. Dumping the take means discarding the type, or removing it from the chase for distribution. If the take stayed intact when dumped, it was said to lift.
Alternatively, the phrase could also mean that a proof (“take”) passed inspection at the dumping board (where proofreading occurred) and it “lifted” without need for correction.
I ended up making these prints after learning about the meaning of the phrase.
This version of letterpress print of mine is on display at Cooper Union as part of the End of the Year Show.
I posted many of these posters around Cooper when it first broke that the school’s administration is seeking to begin charging tuition at the school. More than a few of them were torn down and trashed.
A shed on the island of Bequia paneled with discarded litho plates. Notice how some of the plates are right reading… I’m guessing they were discarded because someone exposed the negatives the wrong way around!
This shed was on the property of a local prophet named Ras Elijah..
(Source: Flickr / dont-front)
California case layout from The Arm Press in Brooklyn, NY.
