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Printer
By the end of 1829, Dickinson had equipped his shop and was ready to solicit orders for printing. The first announcement succinctly described his objectives and policies:
SAMUEL N. DICKINSON, having established himself in the Printing Business in this city, would respectfully inform the public that he has opened an office at No. 52, Washington-street, (6 doors north of State-street,) where he has a choice selection of Type, and other apparatus, adapted to the printing of Books, Newspapers, Catalogues, Circulars, Checks, Cards & c.
In soliciting patronage, he engages that his work shall be executed in as good style, and on as reasonable terms, as at any other establishment in the city. His materials are selected from the Boston Type and Stereotype Foundry, and are among the best specimens for neatness and elegance that can be procured.
Gentlemen disposed to favour his establishment with their patronage, may depend on having their work done with punctuality, with the nicest accuracy, and according to the terms of contract.
Refer to Messrs. H. J. Oliver.
J. G. Rogers, and
Rev. Silas Blaisdale
Boston, Dec. 9.[9]
At least two of his three references had a personal interest in the success of this venture. Henry J. Oliver, Boston merchant, became his father-in-law nine months later and John G. Rogers was the agent of the Boston Type and Stereotype Foundry.[10] The third reference, Reverend Silas Blaisdale, taught at the Salem Street Academy.[11] Obviously Dickinson was starting on his own without much encouragement from the businessmen of Boston.
Throughout his career, he always attempted to obtain the best and latest equipment, announcing these acquisitions proudly in advertisements
Mr. Phinehas (sic) Dow, of this city, has, we think, been very successful in applying these progressive levers. He has contrived to place the fulcrum of the lever on the near side, thus bringing the bar-handle nearer to the pressman, and also the advantage of not extending an awkward distance out from the press. Mr. D., however, is not alone in this particular, others, have appended the bar to the near side of their presses, also; but, whether they have done it in so compact a manner admits of considerable doubt. For ourselves, we can say we never saw a press fold up so snugly, (if we may be allowed the term,) as that of Mr. D. But, its most striking feature is its simplicity; we believe it would be impossible to construct a press with less machinery. The bar or lever, is 36 inches long, from the extreme end to the centre of motion; from this centre, and at a right angle with the bar, is a short arm, to which a pitman is attached; the short arm is 2¼ inches long, and extends towards the back of the press; the pitman terminates in a ball, which acts in a socket near the top of the lower toggle; of course the toggles are pushed, and not drawn, as in other presses. Those parts giving the pressure are brought in straight lines at the greatest stress, consequently no spring, and but little friction, are important advantages in this press.
* * * * * * * *
Mr. Clymer's press, in its day, was considered an acquisition to a printing office, and no doubt it was; but, far otherwise is the case at present. In the perspective, the eye is struck with rather an agreeable picture; but, as beauty is not always indicative of superiour worth, so with this press; it may be classified with the beautiful, but not among the useful. . . . It is well known that a simple, and yet efficient, machine, always possesses decided advantages over a complicated one. . . . But, exclusive of its intricateness, we have other objections to Mr. Clymer's press. Such as its liability to accident, because of its overmuch machinery; and, (what we think a serious one,) the movement of the platen; in the perspective the platen is seen attached to the main lever by means of a piston, which piston slides between two projections from either of the inner sides of the press; these projections are grooved at the ends, and are intended to guide the piston in its perpendicular motion, but of this they fail; for the piston being made fast, as above stated, to the main
The earliest items printed by Dickinson were products of a skilled craftsman. He did excellent tabular work, as in the Report of the School Committee, Boston, 1829, and, during the next year, he demonstrated his ability to handle texts and lists in such publications as a report of the Boston Mechanics Institution (1830) and the Act of Incorporation of the Bunker Hill Monument Association. In addition to other works and job printing throughout the 1830's, he began printing books for publishers. Dickinson's production of John Locke's Some Thoughts Concerning Education in 1830 for Gray & Bowen must have pleased them; two years later, they selected him to print The Token (1833), one of the most distinguished American literary annuals. Another recognition of his craftsmanship is manifest in the choice of Dickinson to print the 1835 specimen book of the Boston Type and Stereotype Foundry. In six years, he had established himself as a highly respected and successful printer, enjoying an increasing amount of business.
The possibility of attaining better presswork led Dickinson to design modifications on the presses he purchased. One of the early alterations appeared so promising that he applied for a patent. This patent, for an improvement in the machinery for printing, was granted on 19 November 1833. Because of the fire in 1836, no copy survives in the Patent Office, but the patent was epitomized soon after it was granted:
The improvements here described are applied to the hand printing press, and the first of them is intended to remove the defect occasioned by the falling of the inking roller, as it is usually constructed, into the quadrats, or spaces, between the pages of matter; the impressions being usually rendered imperfect by its pressing more forcibly on the type at the sides than at other places, as it falls into, and rises from, these spaces. To obviate this, there are to be wheels, on the gudgeons of the inking rollers, which may be of the same diameter as the rollers themselves, and these are to bear, and run upon, ways, adapted to them. These ways are so constructed as to sink down when the tympan is brought upon the form, and to rise when it is raised; for this purpose, the tympan is furnished with a tail piece on each of its lower angles, which, when it is thrown up, act upon a system of levers, and produce the effect of raising the rails: the inking rollers are then conducted over the form with regularity.
The second improvement consists in a particular arrangement of the inking
The claim is to the application of a system of levers to the bed, to be acted upon by projecting pieces on the lower angles of the tympan, which raise parallel rails for the purpose described; and to the mode of applying the ink fountain for distributing and equalizing the ink.[14]
It is to be regretted that there is not even a clue to the method of distributing and equalizing the ink. That "it would be difficult to describe without a drawing" prompts one to speculate that Dickinson may have utilized the principle of the revolving disk.
The origin of the press most closely associated with Dickinson has, until now, remained obscure. His 1839 Boston Almanac contained this announcement:
S. N. D. would respectfully inform his friends and the public, that having purchased the right of use, for the city of Boston, of the Rotary Press, he intends to direct his whole attention to this branch of Printing.
The Rotary Press will introduce a new era in Card Printing, for from its construction it is capable of printing a greater number of Cards, in a given time, and of the most beautiful execution, than any other machine.
Cards are a ready and convenient medium of information, and would undoubtedly be used to a greater extent than they have been, were they obtained at lower prices. With these machines they can be furnished so low, that the barrier of a high price may be said to be entirely removed — a thousand handsome cards being furnished for four or five dollars.
Rail Road tickets printed with great despatch, and at a great saving to the proprietors.[15]
Despite the fact that the Rotary Press bears a striking resemblance to George P. Gordon's Firefly Press, Henry L. Bullen said that Stephen P. Ruggles built the Rotary Press for Dickinson.[16] Two pieces of evidence prove Bullen to be incorrect. The first, Gordon's patent of 1852 for the Firefly Press, acknowledges that it is an adaptation of a press patented by C. F. Voorhies on 8 April 1834 (U.S. Patent No. 9,234). The second is Dickinson's own statement in his Boston Almanac. Under date of 1 August in "Memoranda of Events in Boston, during the year, 1838," he listed: "The Rotary Press, invented by Mr. C. F. Voorhies, of New York, first introduced into Boston, by S. N. Dickinson, with which one person can print at the rate of 2000 cards per hour."[17]
Dickinson found the Rotary Press so promising that although he had originally purchased the right of use for the city of Boston, he decided to promote and sell it in a larger territory. Answering a query about the press from Elihu Geer, Hartford printer, in 1841, Dickinson described his marketing plans:
An aggressive sales campaign for the Rotary Press yielded results. One was probably placed in New York where the "Office of the Rotary
Dickinson's 1841 Boston Almanac contained a five-page catalogue of work that could be done and articles that could be found at his printing office. It revealed that, at the end of 1840, he was equipped to print newspapers, books, and pamphlets in English, French, or Spanish. Job work extended from cards to show bills in type from Diamond to 60-line Pica. Printing in color, gold printing, embossing, zylographic printing, and engraving were also available. He used "about a dozen different kinds of Printing Presses" in the approximately hundred-foot-long office on Washington Street.[22]
His passion for self-respect and the respect of his world asserted itself without a lull. In 1841, while he enthusiastically used and sold the Rotary Press, he purchased the Boston right for the Ruggles Engine Press which was patented in 1840 (U.S. Patent No. 1,851). Because this card and job press had the horizontal type form above the horizontal platen, it became known as the Upside Down Press.[23] Soon Ruggles advertised that two of these presses were "constantly running" in Dickinson's office (Boston Morning Post, 15 June 1841). Dickinson, in one of his own advertisements, declared that he "will avail himself of all new facilities for executing work—facilities which the inventive genius of our countrymen is constantly producing and improving—as far as honorably he can, either by fair purchase or free permission from the inventors" (Boston Daily Times, 1 July 1841). Another advertisement specified some of the other new facilities: a steam engine, several new inking apparatuses, a new cylinder engine for job work, a hydrostatic press for giving printed work a "most beautiful gloss and finish," two new power presses, as well as new type, flowers, and cuts being received via steamers from Liverpool (New England Puritan, 11 Nov. 1841).
To be known as the owner of the shop with the best equipment did not suffice; he made the shop itself express his fervor for his craft. He was, he told the public, the first in Boston "to arrange and systematize a Printing Office in such a manner as to leave impressions of respect and
By 1845, Dickinson was printer, publisher, stereotyper, and typefounder. The expanding volume of business was too large to be closely supervised by one person. On 1 April, Dickinson admitted Charles C. P. Moody, one of his chief assistants, as a co-partner under the firm name of S. N. Dickinson & Co.[28] Moody probably managed the printing department
The great variety of typographical activities under one roof provided excellent training for ambitious employees. William Filmer, one
The year 1846 marked the summit of Dickinson's career for, as the year ended, his health began to decline and he could no longer continue his constant, intensive activity. The co-partnership with Charles C. P. Moody expired by limitation on 1 April 1847. Dickinson again assumed complete financial responsibility, but the formal announcement pointed out that Moody would remain, attending chiefly to the printing department while Dickinson devoted his attention principally to the typefounding department (Daily Evening Transcript, 15 May 1847). This stop-gap arrangement ended in September when Dickinson sold his "extensive Printing Office, Book Bindery, and Card Embossing department" to Damrell & Moore.[34] Nevertheless the name of Dickinson did not disappear in the Boston printing industry. When Damrell & Moore moved to Devonshire Street in 1848, they referred to their firm as "The
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