Lowe Press No. 2 press

Lowe Press, No. 2, patented 1856, view showing handle left

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Lowe Press, No. 2, patented 1856, view showing handle left
Lowe Press, No. 2, patented 1856, view showing handle center left
Lowe Press, No. 2, patented 1856, view showing handle center right
Lowe Press, No. 2, patented 1856, view showing press from side handle back left
Lowe Press, No. 2, patented 1856, view showing press from front handle back left

Object Details

maker

Lowe, Samuel W.

Description

Samuel W. Lowe of Philadelphia invented the Lowe printing press, an unusual conical cylinder press patented in 1856. Like Adams's Cottage printing press, it did not include a frisket and included an automatic tympan. The rights for the press were sold in 1858 to Joseph Watson, who marketed both presses in Boston and Philadelphia.

The Lowe printing press does not appear to have been as heavily advertised as the Adams, although the company notes that we have sold many presses … to druggists … in this country and in other lands. Every boy and business man seems to be having one.

As for portability, the Lowe was more than a third lighter than the Adams, ranging from between 12 and 120 pounds as compared to Adams's press at between 100 and 400 pounds. The Lowe used a simpler frame and relatively thin castings.

Credit Line

Gift of Joseph H. Hennage

date made

ca 1860

patent date

1856

ID Number

1988.0650.03

accession number

1988.0650

catalog number

1988.0650.03

Object Name

press, printing

Object Type

Letterpress

Physical Description

metal (overall material)

wood (overall material)

Measurements

overall: 9 3/4 in x 14 1/2 in x 26 in; 24.765 cm x 36.83 cm x 66.04 cm

place made

United States: Massachusetts, Boston

See more items in

Work and Industry: Graphic Arts

Military

Cultures & Communities

Communications

Industry & Manufacturing

Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection

Civil War Field Printing

Exhibition

Printing at Home

Exhibition Location

National Museum of American History

Data Source