BMS421H1

Histories of Letterpress Printing

In this senior seminar course, students will have a hands-on opportunity to learn about the Western letterpress tradition from its fifteenth century emergence to its nineteenth century rise as an industrial trade. Framed by the apprenticeship model that supported the growth of printers as a trade, where apprentices would train under a master to become a journeyman, this course will expose students to all steps involved in producing letterpress materials set within a historical context. Social issues associated with the printing industries, such as working conditions and the rise of guilds, will also be explored. Students will have an opportunity to produce printed materials using 19th and 20th century printing presses.