Printers and Press Operators: The Oregonian Remembered

Abstract

In May 1919, the Typographical Journal printed reminiscences written by Emily Chenoweth McCown and Wilkie Duniway — both former printers for the Oregonian — after the death of the newspaper's publisher, Henry Pittock. This primary document is a rare first-hand account of skilled trade workers, including engravers, lithographers, and stereotypers, who worked with newspaper printers and pressmen during the 1880s and 1890s. Harry Stein explores the lives of those workers during a time of rapid change in the North American newspaper industry. Linotype machines and improved printing presses introduced mechanization and speed to printing processes and, as a result, altered labor practices and divisions within newspapers. Through Stein's introduction, the historical significance of the letters is revealed.