Early Printing Press Model and Papermachine model

This month's feature is an older papermachine, designed by Louis-Nicolas Robert in 1797, and a model of an 18th century printing press. The papermachine is numbered in the Dard Hunter collection as #970, and the press is numbered in the museum collection as #1993.006.727. The printing press model was produced by St. Regis Paper Company along with the book, The Power of Print in American History, 1776-1976. Both the book and accompanying model were commissioned by St. Regis in celebration of the American Bicentennial in 1976. The model has a plaque identifying the design as a replica of the common English press used by Benjamin Franklin, nicknamed the Franklin printing press. The original, full-sized press was purchased in 1901 by the Smithsonian Institution. Our press model has working moving parts, including a print bed (the press stone) that moves across on rails (the coffin), and the printing plate (the platen), which raises and lowers along the upright supports (the cheeks). 

 Robert's papermachine was the first successful continuous papermaking machine built, and became the basis of the Fourdrinier papermachine, which is still in use today in industrial paper mills. Robert filed a patent with the French government for the machine in 1799, but had a quarrel of ownership with his financial backer, Saint-Leger Didot, whose family had gained status through printing, typography, and publishing. Eventually, Robert sold the patent to Didot, who took Robert's patent to England to work with the Fourdrinier brothers to develop their papermachine. Our papermachine model is 2 feet long and 1.5 feet tall, with a moving press roll, wire, and crank, and a removable headbox. The press roll can be raised or lowered, and the forming wire can be spun using a crank on the side. Operation at full-scale involves pulp (called stock) stirring in the vat, while a wheel inside the headbox dips into the stock and carries portions around to deposit on the forming wire. The forming wire moves continuously away from the headbox, looping back around like a treadmill. The pulp sitting on the wire is called a mat, and the mat is carried through the press rolls, which press out water from the paper mat. The damp mat is then lifted from the screen and rolled up on separate stands during continuous operation, eventually drying in the air.  

We hope that you enjoyed this peek at our collection! We'll be back next month with another artifact. Have a great September!