The printing history collection is built around a working fleet of printing presses, as well as a vast holding of printing equipment, printing types, photo-engravings, and hand cut wood blocks. This collection preserves the tradition of small batch job printing in the 19th century, while keeping an open and active dialogue with contemporary practices of Printmaking and Graphic Design communities.
The nature of select items within the collection require that they be operated by trained staff in order to better preserve them. The staff at Bowne & Co. care for the working printing equipment in collaboration with the Collections Department.
Highlights include the Frederic Nelson Phillips “Tri-Arts” Collection which consists of decorative foundry type, for a total of 986 wooden boxes, containing 1200 fonts, ca. 1810-1910.
Collections Online Portal
Browse a selection of Artwork, Artifacts and objects in our collection.
Past Programs
Head over to our Past Programs page where you can find video content from all of our previous virtual programs.