Gordon Job Press, circa 1865
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Artifact Overview
The Gordon Franklin was a popular platen job press in the 19th century, celebrated for its innovative ink distribution. Its inventor, George P. Gordon, a Spiritualist, claimed that Benjamin Franklin described the press to him in a dream. J.H. Crouse of Chicago used this press for small jobs, printing patent medicine labels and church bulletins to cover college expenses.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Printing press
Date Made
circa 1865
Creators
Place of Creation
Creator Notes
Made by George P. Gordon in Rhode Island.
Location
at Henry Ford Museum in Made in America
Object ID
31.1017.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Cast iron
Steel (Alloy)
Wood (Plant material)
Dimensions
Height: 44 in
Width: 41 in
Length: 40.5 in
Inscriptions
brass plate below bed marked:
GEO. P. GORDON'S / PATENTS / AUG. 5TH 1851 JAN. 1ST 1856 JAN 10TH 1860.
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Related Content
SetInformation Machines: Printing Presses at The Henry Ford
- 18 Artifacts
Enoch Prouty was a Baptist minister who wanted to print a temperance newspaper. He could not afford a press--so he invented one. The long arms and rods on this "grasshopper" press move when operated. In 1892 and 1893, it received merit awards at Chicago's Columbian Exposition. This particular press printed an agricultural journal in Ohio in the 1920s.
articlePrinting Presses: Information Machines
In honor of our current exhibit House Industries: A Type of Learning, we take a closer look at printing presses in our collection.