Gordon Firefly press
date: label: Date made
content: after 1852
name: label: maker
content: Gordon, George P.
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: This self-inking card press was made by George P. Gordon of New York after 1852. It includes its original maker’s label. The press has a height of 49 inches a width of 24 inches and a length of 24 inches; its chase measures 3 inches by 4.5 inches.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Though Gordon is most famous for his platen jobbers, he made several presses specifically for card printing. The Firefly, patented in 1852, printed on a roll or a long strip of paper and then cut the paper into card lengths. Two sets of inking rollers circulated continuously around the cylindrical ink surface. The type formed a segment of the cylinder, and was driven against the platen after each passage of the rollers, twice for every complete revolution.
label: Description (Brief)
content: The Firefly was said to be able to print 8,000 or more impressions per hour. This specimen was modified before it came to the Museum; its original crank was replaced with a belt wheel.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Donated by Benjamin, Samuel, Harding, and Thomas Rees, 1969.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Citation: Elizabeth Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York, New York City
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Graphic Arts
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content: Communications
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content: Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: GA.23054
label: catalog number
content: 23054
label: accession number
content: 282544
objectType: label: Object Name
content: press, printing
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 49 in x 24 in x 24 in; 124.46 cm x 60.96 cm x 60.96 cm