"The Missouri Republican Newspaper" Prints a History of its Publication

9/10/1877
One side of the folded commemorative issue of the Missouri Republican
Creative Commons LicenseJeremy Norman Collection of Images - Creative Commons
One side of the large folded sheet. Half of this 8-page production was devoted to a reprint of the text of the newspaper from the third issue in 1877.
The wooden hand press used to print the first issues of the Missouri Republican.
Creative Commons LicenseJeremy Norman Collection of Images - Creative Commons
An image of the wooden hand press used to print the first issues of the Missouri Republican. Printers in the rural western United States preferred the lighter wooden presses to the better iron presses, since wooden presses were much lighter and therefore easier to move if moving became necessary.
In radical contrast to the original very basic wooden handpress, the Missouri Republican bragged that its Walter web press was the "fastest press in the world--capacity 20,000 perfect copies
Creative Commons LicenseJeremy Norman Collection of Images - Creative Commons
In radical contrast to the original very basic wooden handpress, the Missouri Republican bragged that its Walter web press was the "fastest press in the world--capacity 20,000 perfect copies per hour." They also used a Bullock Printing Press, which was slightly slower.
Detail map of St. Louis, Missouri, United States Overview map of St. Louis, Missouri, United States

A: St. Louis, Missouri, United States

On this commemorative issue the newspaper illustrated a view of its basic small offices in 1827 as compared to its tower offices in 1877.
Creative Commons LicenseJeremy Norman Collection of Images - Creative Commons
On this commemorative issue the newspaper illustrated a view of its basic small offices in 1827 as compared to its tower offices in 1877.
On September 10, 1877 The Missouri Republican printed a brief history of its publication since its founding in St. Louis on July 12, 1808. The newspaper, founded by Joseph Charless, was originally called the Missouri Gazette. The single sheet issued on September 10, 1877, on which 8 pages were printed, and folded to 12 x 9 inches, was intended to represent the size of the original newspaper pages from 1808 when the circulation of the newspaper, printed on a wooden handpress similar to Ramage's but of indeterminate make, was only 500 copies. The commemorative issue also reproduced the text of the third issue of the newspaper, reproduced a picture of its original handpress, and proudly displayed the current presses it was then using to produce the 300,000 copies needed for its circulation in 1877.

Timeline Themes

Printing by Machine
Printing by Handpress or by Hand
News Media / Journalism
One side of the folded commemorative issue of the Missouri Republican
Creative Commons LicenseJeremy Norman Collection of Images - Creative Commons
One side of the large folded sheet. Half of this 8-page production was devoted to a reprint of the text of the newspaper from the third issue in 1877.
The wooden hand press used to print the first issues of the Missouri Republican.
Creative Commons LicenseJeremy Norman Collection of Images - Creative Commons
An image of the wooden hand press used to print the first issues of the Missouri Republican. Printers in the rural western United States preferred the lighter wooden presses to the better iron presses, since wooden presses were much lighter and therefore easier to move if moving became necessary.
In radical contrast to the original very basic wooden handpress, the Missouri Republican bragged that its Walter web press was the "fastest press in the world--capacity 20,000 perfect copies
Creative Commons LicenseJeremy Norman Collection of Images - Creative Commons
In radical contrast to the original very basic wooden handpress, the Missouri Republican bragged that its Walter web press was the "fastest press in the world--capacity 20,000 perfect copies per hour." They also used a Bullock Printing Press, which was slightly slower.