November 19 | 7–9pm | 207–213 Water Street | $15
Kick off the holiday season with an evening of creativity, community, light refreshments, and cheer at the Seaport Museum’s annual Wayzgoose—a 500-year-old printers’ tradition marking the change of seasons.
All evening long, you are invited to step into the Bowne & Co., Printing Office at 207 Water Street to roll up your sleeves and make your own impressions. Using historical printing presses and movable type from the Seaport Museum’s working collection, you’ll pull your own festive, holiday-themed keepsakes. Next door, at Bowne & Co., Stationers at 211 Water Street, get a head start on holiday shopping and enjoy a special discount on the gift emporium’s delightful selection of holiday gifts, cards, and more paper goods.
The A.A. Thomson & Co., warehouse at 213 Water Street remains open through 8:30pm. Explore two exhibitions celebrating Lower Manhattan’s printing legacy, including one of the last opportunities to see The Promise of Liberty: Words That Shaped a Nation before it closes November 29. Discover how early American printers shaped public discourse and helped establish freedom of the press through historic typefaces, compelling broadsides, and a working printing press. For a special treat, join members of the curatorial working group for a type-focused guided tour of Maritime City at 7:45pm.
Sign up today to lock in your space for this charming evening—a night for printers, friends, and fellow enthusiasts to share the fruits of their labor, raise a glass, and celebrate the craft, community, and creativity that keep the heritage of letterpress printing alive. Preregistration is encouraged. Walkups will be accommodated as space allows. Anyone ages 12 and up is welcome. Access to the Printing Offices and Stationers shop includes walking up and down a few stairs.
A Brief History of Wayzgoose
Legend has it that when Johannes Gutenberg and his team completed the first edition of the Bible, he invited them to his countryside residence for a celebratory dinner where he served a roast goose—they went away to eat a goose, giving rise to the term Wayzgoose.
Wayzgoose is a traditional printer’s party that coincides with Bartholomewtide, the feast of St. Bartholomew, celebrated on August 24. St. Bartholomew is the patron saint of both bookbinders and butchers. In Northern Europe, the season began to change around this time, and papermakers would take a break from their work to produce waxed paper, used to cover windows in homes and workshops that couldn’t afford glass. While this wax paper provided insulation, it also blocked sunlight, marking the shift to working by candlelight. Wayzgoose celebrations recognized this seasonal transition.
About Bowne & Co.
Established by Robert Bowne in 1775, Bowne & Co. holds the distinction of being New York’s oldest operating business under the same name. After growing as a financial printer throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Bowne & Co. Inc. partnered with the Seaport Museum in 1975 to open a 19th century-style print shop at 211 Water Street in the South Street Seaport Historic District. Today, it is comprised of the Bowne & Co. Printing Office—a workspace that continues the age-old tradition of job (or small batch) printing using historic presses from South Street Seaport Museum’s working collection—and Bowne & Co. Stationers, a 19th century-style emporium selling gifts and fine goods.
Plan Your Visit
We look forward to welcoming you! Before your visit, please review the Visitor Guide and Frequently Asked Questions. You’ll find helpful information on ticketing and discounts, planning a family visit, directions and accessibility at each of our historic sites, the visitor code of conduct, what is and isn’t permitted across the Museum campus, tips for using technology during your visit, and more.
Ready for more?
Head over to our Programs and Events page to see what else is happening at the Museum. Sign up for an upcoming talk, learn more about visiting Wavertree, or explore our virtual offerings.