Browse Items (425 total)

A sepia photograph of a young fair-skinned boy wearing an apron standing at a case of type. He holds a small metal box in one hand and selects type from the case with the other.

An image of an article with the heading Letters From a Deaf Father To A Deaf Son.
In this series, James F. Brady, a Deaf printer and graduate of the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, penned open letters to his Deaf son about his education and career goals. These letters served as advice for all readers on these subjects.

A black and white photograph of the backside of a large linotype machine, revealing much of its mechanics, gears, and wires as they protrude from the machine.
The linotype machine increased the speed with which newspapers could be printed. Unlike earlier printing forms, which used individual typeface blocks for each letter of text, linotype machines cast lines of type known as slugs. These would be stacked…

A color photograph of a linotype machine standing as part of a historical exhibit. The machine is clean, with red paint and silver finishes. Behind the machine, several newspaper layouts, made from linotype blocks, are hung on the wall.
A historical display in the entrance of the newspaper building included various forms of printing technology.

A color photograph of a linotype machine set in a corner. The black metal machine features a large keyboard at center right. At left, the apparatus for melting lead is visible. In front of the machine is a green operator's chair.
Operators would sit at the machine, using the keyboard to type out lines of text. At the top, three magazines provided the user with access to different font types.

A color photograph of a large room filled with machinery and heavy tables; in the center of this room are two massive linotype machines with black protruding mechanics, and cords which plug into the ceiling of the room. Two chairs lie empty in front of these machines.
For most of the twentieth century, newspapers were formed from text blocks created on large linotype machines. Newspapers would have many such machines. As printing techniques changed, linotype was used less.

A black and white photograph of a large linotype machine with wires and various mechanics protruding from it, including a keyboard, placed upon a slightly taller platform on the floor.
The use of punched tape with linotype machines reduced the need for multiple linotype operators. Rather than multiple operators typing text into the keyboard at each linotype machine, the text was read into the machine using punched paper tape. This…

A black and white photograph of a line of fair skinned middle to older aged men as they sit in front of their corresponding linotype machines. Some of them engage with each other in conversation; others are mid-typing on the machines.
Linotype operators received copy from writers and keyed stories into linotype machines. The machine used molten lead to create slugs, lines of text which would then be arranged into blocks, forming columns of newspaper text.

A black and white photograph of a group of fair skinned middle aged men and women, gathered in front of several linotype machines. They are dressed casually. In the background are several people moving and working.
During breaks Deaf printers often gathered in their workspaces for conversations in ASL about work and other topics. This opportunity for frequent gathering and social networking was a benefit of working at The Washington Post. The large number of…

A black and white photograph of a fair skinned older man as he works on a front page of a newspaper on a Make-up table. He wears glasses and a collared button down shirt with an apron.
In the Composing Room the pages of the newspaper came together in Make-up. Here printers would use a mark-up sheet prepared by the editors to lay out the galleys of text and other elements to form a page of the newspaper. The lead blocks were locked…
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