Bowne & Co., Stationers, a part of the South Street Seaport Museum, resembles a typical job shop of the late 1870's. The space would have been rather dim and lit by gas. Printing was done on presses that were powered by a treadle that had to be pumped with the foot. The shop employees had to hand-pick each piece of metal type to hand-set the text.
The shop's founder, Robert Bowne (1744-1818), set up his firm in 1775 at 39 Queen Street (later renamed Pearl Street). Like many other New York City merchants at the time, Bowne did not specialize in one particular avenue of trade but rather dealt in a variety of dry goods including cloth, paper, and cutlery. After his death, the business passed to Bowne’s sons, Robert H. Bowne (1775-1843) and John L. Bowne (1779-1847).
In 1829 “Bowne, Robert H., stationer, 111 Water Street” appeared in the New York directory for the first time. An inventory of the business’s wares at that time shows a fascinating variety. Papers included gilt-edged letter paper, pasteboard, straw paper, tissue paper, copying paper, drawing paper. The blank books available were copybooks, bill books, cargo books, bankbooks, remembrance albums, and seamen’s journals. Seals, sealing wax, and wafers were available to close letters, as envelopes weren’t yet in use. Writing quills, many colors of ink, and inkstands made out of glass, china, tin, or pewter lined the shelves alongside pounce (a fine powder) and sand, which were used to absorb excess ink.
Bowne & Co. Stationers offered lithographic as well as letterpress printing for receipts, handbills, clipper cards, and timetables throughout the rest of the 19th century, but they began to specialize in financial printing services. The company continues to this day as the world’s largest international financial printer, with headquarters at 55 Water Street.
The shop now open at 211 Water Street was recreated in 1975 as a part of the South Street Seaport Museum and evokes Bowne & Co., Stationer, as it appeared in the late 19th century. It is a working letterpress office and continues to take commissions for cards, announcements, and other social stationery. All text is set and composed by hand using Bowne’s historic antique type collection and then printed on original 19th century treadle-powered platen presses.
If you would like more information about commissioning letterpress services, please contact our master printer, at (212) 748-8651 or bowne@southstseaport.org.
Bowne & Co., located at 211 Water Street in lower Manhattan, is open from 10am to 6pm, Seven Days a Week.