Whitman College Press collection
Scope and Contents
This collection contains records of the operations of the Whitman College Press in Walla Walla from 1975 to 2017 including correspondence with the equipment donor Frank McCaffrey, correspondence between members of the Whitman College Press Committee, budgetary information, layout of the press, information on the use of press equipment, and photos of press in operation; information, research, and original printings for various Whitman College Press projects; numerous advertisements for pieces produced by other small presses between 1973 and 1989 collected by Marilyn Sparks; Records from summer book arts workshops that took place between 1995 and 2003; and issues of the Northwest Book Arts journal between 1980 and 1982.
Dates
- Creation: 1973-2017
Creator
- Whitman College (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Biographical / Historical
The Whitman College Press was a letterpress printing press established in 1977 to produce small run, hand-printed editions of historical items from the College’s Northwest Collection and archives. The press equipment was donated to Whitman College in February, 1977 by Frank McCaffrey, the owner and operator of the Dogwood Press, a private press based in Seattle, Washington. From 1977 until 1985, the press was operated by S. Eugene Thompson, the then director of the Publications Department at Whitman College. In 1987 the press equipment was transferred to the art department as the Whitman Book Arts Press where it has been utilized by faculty and visiting artists in classes and their own work. Between 1994 and 2003 the press was utilized in summer book arts workshops held at Whitman College.
Under Eugene Thompson the press produced primarily small pieces for the Whitman College Communications Department. The largest project undertaken during Thompson’s tenure was the “Eaton Letter,” a reproduction of a letter written in 1892 by the second president of Whitman College to his former students in North Adams, Massachusetts as he left to take up his position in Walla Walla. Working with Whitman students, a small book entitled “A Whitman Alphabet” was also produced during this time. In the fall of 1994, a printing of Seven Mourning Songs I Have Yet to Learn to Play on My Cedar Flute by Sherman Alexie was produced on the press. In the Summer 1995, a translation by Professor Jonathan Walters of a Tibetan Palmleaf Manuscript was produced on the press by Barbara Tentenbaum.
Extent
2.75 Linear Feet (6 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Whitman College Press was a letterpress printing press that operated at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington from 1977 until 1985. This collection contains records of the operations of the Whitman College Press.
- Title
- Guide to the Whitman College Press collection
- Author
- Samuel Erickson
- Date
- 2018
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Whitman College and Northwest Archives Repository