Rotary Mimeograph No. 77A, 1913-1930

Summary

Thomas Edison received a patent in 1876 for "Autographic Printing," covering the electric pen and flatbed press; a patent for "Autographic Stencils" followed in 1880. The mimeograph was invented by Albert Blake Dick in 1887, who licensed and refined Edison's patents. This low-cost, stencil-based printing technology was popular until displaced by photocopying machines and offset printing in the 1960s.

Thomas Edison received a patent in 1876 for "Autographic Printing," covering the electric pen and flatbed press; a patent for "Autographic Stencils" followed in 1880. The mimeograph was invented by Albert Blake Dick in 1887, who licensed and refined Edison's patents. This low-cost, stencil-based printing technology was popular until displaced by photocopying machines and offset printing in the 1960s.

Artifact

Mimeograph

Date Made

1913-1930

Creators

A.B. Dick Company 

Edison, Thomas A. (Thomas Alva), 1847-1931 

Place of Creation

United States, Illinois, Chicago 

Creator Notes

Manufactured by A. B. Dick Company, from the invention and subsequent patents of Thomas A. Edison.

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

00.721.20

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Thomas A. Edison.

Material

Iron alloy
Nickel (Metal)
Rubber (Material)
Steel (Alloy)
Wood (Plant material)
Textile
Copper (Metal)

Dimensions

Height: 16 in

Width: 18 in

Length: 16.5 in

Inscriptions

plaque: Mimeograph No.77 Model A Serial No. 43384 Guarantee . . . A.B. Dick Company Chicago, U.S.A. Made in U.S.A. paper feed tray: Guarantee: . . . A.B. Dick Company Chicago, U.S.A. label: Directions for Mimeograph Print Recorder . . .

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