Compositor Collection

Typesetting by hand, Morning Post newspaper, London
A roomful of male compositors in London, typesetting the pages of the Morning Post newspaper by hand

Typesetter at work
A compositor at a the Lund Humphries print works places a small type glyph on a forme rack, finishing a page of imposing surface text prior to inking and printing. Photograph by Heinz Zinram

Compositor at Works
An American compositor at work in the days of manual type setting. Date: 1887

Operators of a Type Composing Machine
Two men operate a type composing machine. The machines collect and arrange the metal types used in early film photographic printing processes, a job previously done by human hand

Photographs of women at work, in traditionally male roles. With heading, Where Woman Wants To, She Can! The photographs captioned, Paris: Lady Billsticker, Leipsic: Girl Messenger

Women working at the Victoria Press 1861
Women and girls working as compositors under the supervision of a man at the Victoria Press printing office in Great Coram Street, London

Box lid, Le Petit Compositeur, game
Box lid, Le Petit Compositeur (The Little Compositor) game

Sydney Waterlow Young
SIR SYDNEY HEDLEY WATERLOW distinguished printer, depicted as a young man working as a compositor in Paris. Date: 1822 - 1906

Hand Compositor receiving spacing materials
Reserve supplies of spacing material are brought to the hand compositor so that his time is not wasted in journeys to the store at the Lund Humphries Printing Works. Photograph by Heinz Zinram

Compositor and ranks of Chinese Types
The Head Compositor and ranks of Chinese Types at the Lund Humphries Printing Works. Photograph by Heinz Zinram

French Compositor 1850
French compositor at work placing individual letters in his stick by hand

Compositor at Work
A compositor at work in pre- mechanical days, picking out the individual letters to make up the text held in the holder beside him

Compositor at Wors
A compositor at work, setting the type for a book individual letter by individual letter, to say nothing of spaces and punctuation

Printing Blocks 1760S
How printing blocks are built up from individual characters, each one placed by the compositor, manually

Dutch Printing Office
Interior view of a busy Dutch printing office

Printing, 16th Century
A printing office showing the compositor, the printers and the proof-reader at work

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