Edison No. 1 Mimeograph, circa 1897

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Artifact Overview

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 Details

Artifact

Mimeograph

Date Made

circa 1897

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

2002.65.8

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of A.B. Dick Company.

Material

Steel
Rubber
Cotton (Textile)
Wood (Plant Material)

Dimensions

Length: 17 in
Width: 13.25 in
Height: 4.75 in

Inscriptions

monogram: THE EDISON MIMEOGRAPH / ABD Co / INVENTED BY / THOMAS A. EDISON / JAN. 1, 1897 BY A.B. DICK COMPANY, CHICAGO, U.S.A. / OTHER PATENTS PENDING. / [...] transfer on front: MADE BY A.B.DICK COMPANY, CHICAGO, ILL. / U.S.A. / LIST OF PATENTS PERTAINING TO DUPLICATING / MACHINES AND PROCESSES OWNED front of case: NO. 1 / EDISON'S MIMEOGRAPH
Edison No. 1 Mimeograph, circa 1897