Printing Presses

These presses were the backbone of the job printing industry, and excelled at printing small batches of invoices, receipts, labels, tags, and the variety of business stationery to support the ever bustling seaport. In order to print this variety of materials, a printer would need two things, a printing press, and moveable type to print from.

In the 19th century printing offices proliferated in lower Manhattan, where they served shipping companies and the dozens of other merchants who formed a culture of commerce centered around the port. By century’s end, New York City boasted over 700 printing offices staffed by 8,000 workers. From one-man, single-press operations in basements, to multi-story printing plants that employed hundreds of journeymen, they generated a flurry of printed materials that blanketed South Street and beyond.

The collection is working on a daily basis at the Museum's Bowne & Co. Stationers and printing office at 211-209 Water Street.