Object Details
maker
unknown
Description
This table-top, flatbed platen proofing press dates from the late 19th century. The press chase measures 6.25 inches by 9.25 inches; its height is 8 inches and width 10.75 inches.
The little Comit (or Comet) press was sold and perhaps made by Robert S. Menamin, of Philadelphia, a publisher and printing equipment dealer, as a quick proofing press for wood engravers. Its bed is pushed under the platen by hand, and the platen is lowered by a crank-operated eccentric shaft. This particular press is alleged to have been used by missionaries in China.
Found in the collections, 1948.
Citation: Elizabeth M. Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996. Elizabeth M. Harris, "Personal Impressions, The Small Printing Press in Nineteenth-Century America," 2004.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 19th century
ca 1900
ID Number
GA.19991
accession number
1948.179703
catalog number
19991
Object Name
press, printing
Physical Description
metal (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 8 in x 10 3/4 in; 20.32 cm x 27.305 cm
overall: 8 1/4 in x 23 1/2 in x 14 in; 20.955 cm x 59.69 cm x 35.56 cm
place made
United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
See more items in
Work and Industry: Graphic Arts
Communications
Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_1449909