Archives Center, National Museum of American History P.O. Box 37012 Suite 1100, MRC 601 Washington, D.C. 20013-7012 [email protected]http://americanhistory.si.edu/archives Guide to the Harris Automatic Press Company Records NMAH.AC.0928 Alison Oswald 2017
23
Embed
Guide to the Harris Automatic Press Company Recordssirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/NMAH.AC.0928.pdfSeries 1: Background Materials Harris Automatic Press Company Records NMAH.AC.0928 Page 5
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Archives Center, National Museum of American HistoryP.O. Box 37012Suite 1100, MRC 601Washington, D.C. [email protected]://americanhistory.si.edu/archives
Guide to the Harris AutomaticPress Company Records
Harris Automatic Press Company RecordsNMAH.AC.0928
Page 1 of 21
Collection Overview
Repository: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Title: Harris Automatic Press Company Records
Identifier: NMAH.AC.0928
Date: 2003 - 20031889 - 1995
Extent: 6.5 Cubic feet (13 boxes and 5 oversize folders)
Creator: GSS Printing Equipment Company.Graphic Arts Collection (NMAH, SI)Information Technology and Communications, Div. of (NMAH, SI).Harris Automatic Press Company, Dayton, Ohio
Language: English
Summary: Collection documents the Harris Automatic Press Company,manufacturers of a printing press with an automatic feed primarilythrough drawings and photographs.
Administrative Information
Acquisition InformationCollection donated by GSS Printing Equipment.
ProvenanceTransferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Information, Technology andCommunications, Graphic Arts Collection.
Processing InformationCollection is processed by Alison Oswald. Historical background documentation provided byRichard Foley, 2001-2003.
Preferred CitationHarris Automatic Press Company Records, 1889-1995; 2003 Archives Center, NationalMuseum of American History.
RestrictionsCollection is open for research.
Harris Automatic Press Company RecordsNMAH.AC.0928
Page 2 of 21
Conditions Governing UseCollection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guaranteesconcerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Centercost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Biographical / Historical
In 1890 jewelers and tinkerers Alfred and Charles G. Harris developed a new printing press withan automatic feeder. Their first press was a revolutionary breakthrough, delivering ten times what apressman could feed by hand. The Harris Automatic Press Company was responsible for many printinginnovations during the early 1900s including the first commercially successful offset lithographic pressand the first two-color offset press. The company became one of the world's largest and most successfulmanufacturers of printing equipment.
Harris-Seybold Company (later Harris Intertype) of Cleveland, Ohio manufactured high-quality sheetfedoffset lithographic printing presses. The Harris Automatic Press Co. of Niles, Ohio (the original companyname) designed and built the first commercially successful sheetfed offset lithographic printing press in1906. It was sold to the Republic Banknote Company (later became part of U.S. Banknote Corporation)in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, shipped on July 26, 1906. This printing press was retired in August 1940,rebuilt by Harris and donated to the Smithsonian Institution. From 1906 to 1976, Harris manufacturedthousands of lithographic printing presses in various models and sizes along with various designs ofbindery equipment. They were leaders in offset lithography technology. Many of the sheetfed offsetlithographic presses presently being manufactured use some form of the early Harris innovations. In 1957,the company name was changed to Harris Intertype Corporation and in 1974 the name was changed toHarris Corporation. At this time the company was comprised of several electronic divisions in additionto the printing equipment divisions. The company stopped production of sheetfed lithographic printingpresses in 1976. The corporate offices moved from Cleveland, Ohio to Melbourne, Florida in 1978 whereHarris Corporation is still located. Harris Corporation disposed of its printing equipment plants in 1984 ina leverage buyout. Heidelberg (Germany) purchased some of the printing manufacturing plants in the late1990s.
Scope and Contents
The collection contains photographs of the presses, factory and employees; a scrapbook of presses,1915; drawings; trade literature and catalogs; the Harris Impressions newsletter; blueprints of the presses;and histories of the company.
Arrangement
Collection is arranged into three series.
Series 1: Background Materials, 1889-1995
Series 2: Drawings, 1896-1929
Series 3: Photographs, 1921-1968; 2003
Harris Automatic Press Company RecordsNMAH.AC.0928
Page 3 of 21
Names and Subject Terms
This collection is indexed in the online catalog of the Smithsonian Institution under the following terms:
Box 8, Folder 10 Graphic Arts Expositions, 1921 - 1939
Box 13, Folder 2 Seybold Cutters and trimmers and die presses
Series 3: Photographs Harris Automatic Press Company RecordsNMAH.AC.0928
Page 9 of 21
Box 12, Folder 54 Harris-Seybold calendar images for 1940-1945 and company catalog 1902,2003 - 20031 cd-rIn the 1940, the Sales Department at Harris-Seybold Company printed avery high quality calendar on Harris presses that was given to customers andHarris employees. At this time in the industry, this was a new idea. The normalcalendars that companies supplied were not of high quality. Harris hired theservices of a well-known illustrator/artist to create an original piece of artwork. Aprinting company using Harris presses would then duplicate this artwork usingthe sheetfed offset lithographic process. The first calendar was for the year1940-1941 and the last calendar was 1964-1965.
Box 12, Folder 55 Harris Intertype slideshow of 1968, 2003 - 20032 cd-rsAssembled by Rich Foley, the disk contains a slideshow which includes 35mmslides, a ¼" audio tape and a script copy for a slideshow that Harris Companyoriginally created on April 23, 1968. The slideshow presentation summarizes thecompany's equipment and the new electronic designs.
Box 9, Folder 1 # 1, Model N2
Box 9, Folder 2 # 7, Model B1
Box 9, Folder 3 #12, Model A4
Box 9, Folder 4 #21, MS and Charles Harris, bag press
Box 9, Folder 5 #32, Model S1
Box 9, Folder 6 #39, Model E1
Box 9, Folder 7 #88, Model S1H
Box 9, Folder 8 #99, Model S1
Box 9, Folder 9 #101, Model E1
Box 9, Folder 10 #110, Harris Factory, Nile, Ohio
Box 9, Folder 11 #111, Model S1F
Box 9, Folder 12 #113, Model E1 (original)
Box 9, Folder 13 #115, Model S1 (original)
Box 9, Folder 14 #118, Model S1F (orginal)
Series 3: Photographs Harris Automatic Press Company RecordsNMAH.AC.0928
Page 10 of 21
Box 9, Folder 15 #184, Inker, R.H. view
Box 9, Folder 16 #198, Model B1, feeder taking a bag
Box 9, Folder 17 #208, Model E1
Box 9, Folder 18 #218, Model B1
Box 9, Folder 19 #226, Cotton cutter
Box 9, Folder 20 #236, "P"
Box 9, Folder 21 #286
Box 9, Folder 22 #290
Box 9, Folder 23 #327
Box 9, Folder 24 #328
Box 9, Folder 25 #329
Box 9, Folder 26 #335
Box 9, Folder 27 #344
Box 9, Folder 28 #348, new style counter Model S1
Box 9, Folder 29 #349
Box 9, Folder 30 #354, Model E1
Box 9, Folder 31 #356, Model S4
Box 9, Folder 32 #361, Model E1
Box 9, Folder 33 #365, Model S4
Box 9, Folder 33 #376, Model S1
Box 9, Folder 34 #390, Model S1
Series 3: Photographs Harris Automatic Press Company RecordsNMAH.AC.0928
Page 11 of 21
Box 9, Folder 35 #391, transfer machine, Model S1L
Box 9, Folder 36 #392, Stone cycle and shaft, Model S1L
Box 9, Folder 37 #393, seed bag feed, Model E1
Box 9, Folder 38 #404, parallel perforator, Model S1
Box 9, Folder 39 #405, Model S4L
Box 9, Folder 40 #414, bag press suction feed, Model W