Private Press Movement

Submitted To
Mohammad Ferdous Khan
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Graphic Design & Multimedia

Submitted By
Ratul Chanda
Id:193031047
2nd Semester,37th Batch(B)
Dept. of Graphic Design & Multimedia

Module Title
History of Art & Design
Module Code
HAD 1301
Date of Submission
August 25, 2020

Shanto-Mariam University of Creative Technology

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

In performing my assignment, we had to take the help and guideline of

some respected persons, who deserve our greatest gratitude. The
completion of this assignment gives us much Pleasure. I would like to
show my gratitude Mohammad Ferdous Khan, Assistant Professor,
Dept. Of Graphic Design & Multimedia, Shanto-Mariam
University of Creative Technology for giving us a good guideline for
assignment throughout numerous consultations. I would also like to
expand our deepest gratitude to all those who have directly and
indirectly guided us in writing this assignment.

SIGNETURE

Ratul Chanda
 CONTENT

TOPIC Page NO.

Introduction 1

Literature Review 1

Observation & Analysis 1

Conclusion 3
 LIST OF FIGURE

FIGURE Page NO.

Figure 1:William Morris 1

Figure 2: Golden Cockerel Press 2

Figure 3:The Roycroft Press 2

Figure 4:The Kelmscott Press 2

Figure 5:The Daniel Press 2

 Private Press Movement

Introduction:
The term "private press" is often used to refer to a movement in
book production which flourished around the turn of the 20th
century under the influence of the scholar-artisans William
Morris, Sir Emery Walker and their followers. The movement is
often considered to have begun with the founding of Morris'
Kelmscott Press in 1890, following a lecture on printing given by
Walker at the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society in November
1888. Morris decried that the Industrial Revolution had ruined
man's joy in work and that mechanization, to the extent that it has
replaced handicraft, had brought ugliness with it.

Literature Review: Figure 1:William Morris

The private press movement is about the art and craft of making
beautiful books. Books that are often small print-runs of high quality, produced by individuals
and small businesses. Those involved in the private press movement created books by
traditional printing and binding methods, with an emphasis on the book as a work of art and
manual skill, as well as a medium for the transmission of information. Morris was greatly
influenced by medieval printed books and the 'Kelmscott style' had a great, and not always
positive, influence on later private presses and commercial book-design. The movement was
an offshoot of the Arts and Crafts movement, and represented a rejection of the cheap
mechanised book-production methods which developed in the Victorian era. The books were
made with high-quality materials (handmade paper, traditional inks and, in some cases,
specially designed typefaces), and were often bound by hand. Careful consideration was given
to format, page design, type, illustration and binding, in order to produce a unified whole. The
movement dwindled during the worldwide depression of the 1930s, as the market for luxury
goods evaporated. Since the 1950s, there has been a resurgence of interest, especially among
artists, in the experimental use of letterpress printing, paper-making and hand-bookbinding in
producing small editions of 'artists' books', and among amateur (and a few professional)
enthusiasts for traditional printing methods and for the production 'values' of the private press
movement.

Observation & Analysis:

The private press movement began in the mid-19th century. The initial movement began when
creative forces such as William Morris, Emery Walker and the British Arts and Crafts
movement began producing some remarkable books. Soon other enthusiastic book lovers,
artists, designers and crafts people began to become involved in the production of fine books.
With an enthusiastic appreciation of typography, design, illustration, printing and fine binding,
the private press movement evolved and grew; firstly, in Britain and then on into America and
other countries.
The Golden Cockerel Press: The Golden Cockerel Press is one
of the the most outstanding private presses of the 20th century. It
was set up in England in 1920 by a cooperative of four partners in
a small village in England. This press is renowned for some
beautiful handmade limited edition books – now much sought
after by collectors.
The press was a highly creative environment, working with poets,
writers and artists. The typeface ‘Golden Cockerel’ was created in
1929, especially for the press, by the stone-carver, calligrapher
and wood engraver Eric Gill.
Figure 2: Golden Cockerel Press

The Roycroft Press: One of the early private presses in America was the
Roycroft Press. This press was founded in 1895 in the village of East
Aurora, New York by Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915). His inspiration for the
Roycroft Press press began when, on a trip to England, he met with William
Morris and saw the Kelmscott Press in action. Impressed by the books the
Kelmscott Press produced and the philosophy behind the Arts and Craft
movement Hubbard established his printing press in East Aurora. Figure 3:The Roycroft
Press

The Kelmscott Press: The Kelmscott Press was set up in 1891 in England
by the artist and designer William Morris. He had always been impressed
by the beauty of early illuminated books and was also disappointed by the
standard of books being produced in his day. The Kelmscott Press drove
his desire to produce books of great beauty and quality. These were
illustrated books with beautiful typography, fine printing and fine binding.

Figure 4:The Kelmscott Press

The Daniel Press: The Daniel Press was a private press in

Figure 5:The Daniel Press
for the early date of his private press activities.
England, run by Charles Henry Olive Daniel (1836–1919) and
members of his family, firstly at Frome and afterwards in
Oxford.Henry Daniel began printing in 1845, when still a
schoolboy, at Frome in Somerset, and he continued to print
books and ephemera well into the twentieth century, latterly at
Oxford where he ultimately became Provost of Worcester
College.His typography was antiquarian in style, and the quality
of his printing might be described as vigorous rather than fine.
However, he was a great enthusiast for letterpress, and is notable
Conclusion:
Although we look back now on a golden era for the private press movement that began in the
1830s and continued on into the late 1950s, today private presses and individual publishers,
artists and printers remains active. Private presses continue to produce beautiful books, some
use new technology, many use wonderful old printing machines, Letterpress printing, wood-
engraving, specially made paper, bookbinding and fine crafts.
 References

https://courses.lumenlearning.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
https://www.iedunote.com
https://www.jstor.org