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Riverside State Hospital

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Movable Type

A large cabinet held trays and trays of moveable type. Each letter was a seperate piece of metal, and when places in rows like these, they could be used to print many copies of texts. This must have been a tedious process... it shows how the invention of the typewriter was a wonderful time saver.

The letters were seperated and categorized into drawers. There were also different fonts, even a script version. I just realized that I should've tried to read this plate, perhaps it's a historically significant document!

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i so envy you and all the totally awsome discoveries you get to make motts

OH, my sentiments, exactly, Anna! I am very, very envious of Mott's adventures!

Yes, I, too, wished you would have read the type, it would have definitely be interesting!

The memories. I learned to set type in high school (1982) - same class that taught me B&W photo processing. We had to memorize the layout of the type drawers - it was NOT alphabetical order! You NEVER wanted to drop one the heavy drawers of type on the floor, you 'd be looking at hours and hours of sorting.

Wouldn't it be cool if it spelled out "OPACITY" ! ;-)

This is called "letterpress" and that's what was used in all printing shops until the invention of "offset" presses, which used cameras and negatives to make plates for printing. Great photos you have here, and an excellent site!

Reverse Lens Photography?

fashionpage88@yahoo.com

I don't believe so, Fashionpage88, the letterpress would appear backwards so that when pressed against the paper it you then read left to right. Kind of like a ink hand stamp.

haha I meant, Did Motts use reverse lens photography to take this shot. like.. take the lens off and flip it around. the super short focal length gives that effect

fashionpage88@yahoo.com

Maybe I ought to keep my big fat mouth closed, huh? :)

fashionpage88, nah I got as close as I could within focusing distance and used a low F-stop to get the narrow depth of field.

i want that type! what i wouldn't do for a press and piles of type... mmmm, letterpress.

whatimagination

IT TOOK ME JUST A FEW MINUTES TO FIGURE THE MESSAGE OUT. IT SAYS, PLEASE DO NOT DESTROY THESE BUILDINGS, THEY ARE OF IMMEASURABLE VALUE!

Martymizuno...that is SWEET!
yours,
J.Gutenberg

Motts - if this gives away any info about the site, please delete it immediately. I don't know what it means, just what I can read...

The top line appears to say "HENRI TTA HOWSE" (I'm guessing it should be "Henrietta, but is missing the E), which could be the name of the person in charge? The last word on the first line is "Operation". The next few lines are too blurry to read, but the second to final line says "Louis Mitler", and the final line says (I think) 1900. Motts, if you ever get the chance to take another photo of this, I'd be happy to try again!

Louis Mitler is a translator.
Accredited by the Secretariate of State of Canada, Ottowa, Ont. has been an Active member or the American Translators Association since 1976, a member of the American Literary Translators Association since 1990, and a member of the National Asscoiation of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators since 1995. Has graduated from Istanbul University Department of Arts and Letters in 1967.

Yeah, I read that too, but I wasn't sure how it would fit in with something this old... It has to have been years since a letterpress has been used. If it was him, it would be interesting to get in touch with him and see what he has to say about this! Maybe he could shed some light on this mystery!!!

Sketch,
Maybe in his website under requests???

Well, sure, if you want to be logical about it... :D I'll send him an e-mail tonight and let you guys know if I hear anything back from him...

I do! I do!
Logic goes beyond reason!

Please email me as well, Thanks.

OK, ~Me, But I need your address...

Can y ou grab it from Sir Motts, or Lynne?
Don't wish to broadcast it. Sorry.

Mine is purplefire at hotmail dot com. Since most of what I get is junk, be sure to have a title that stands out, like "From ~Me" or "From opacity".

I absoultly love this shot... I don't know what it is about it.

A couple of museums have mock-ups of old print shops with type set up like this.

I have a custom rubber stamp set which I can set up a few lines of text I intend to use a few time like a letterhead.

All typesetters and printers can read upsidedown and backwards.The tool used to put the type in is a composing stick.The case for storage is called a California Job Case.However,this type looks like a Ludlow,Which means each line is cast separatley from molten lead.then melted down and used over again.Typesetting is rapidly becoming obsolete.(or opaque,if you will)

Remember the press from the previous photos posted, these are the letters ans the plate. When I saw it I wanted to say it was a moveable type ppress, but now i know... those things went out in like the 1920s because lithography came about and was faster... and cleaner - no rolleres and buckets of ink

LEAD TYPE!!!!!!!!!!!!! De-ja-vu.

Lead Type is created by a machine called a Linotype.

This style of printing was used long after typewritters were around for two reasons: it allowed high-quality printing with proportional type (e.g., "i" narrower than "o") and different fonts and type sizes. It was also good for runs of stationary--a lot easier than pounding out a batch of forms on a manual typewritter and carbon paper. No doubt it was used to print up forms for patient reports, etc. Some places used this sort of thing for small runs well into the 1990's.

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Memories and stories from past employees, visitors or patients are gratefully welcomed, they help keep these places alive!

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