This photograph shows former Vandercook Vice President Bill Critchlow (4th from left) and his sales team. Vandercook had become a division of Illinois Tool Works in 1968. Several of these names appear on the serial number/model cards held by NA Graphics. Critchlow is married to E.O. Vandercook’s daughter Lynn. Joe Koyak (3rd from left) was […]
MoreCategory: History
Harold E. Sterne
Harold E. Sterne (APA 502) died October 2 at age 81. Hal who co-founded NA Graphics is responsible for saving what remained of Vandercook—its records and parts inventory—from being dumped when he bought what was then called Vandersons. For this and for helping to develop the earliest version of this website and for writing the […]
MoreOrigin of the modern proof press reconsidered
While looking for information on proof presses built by Harrild & Sons, better known for its iron hand presses, I asked Stephen O. Saxe, author of American Iron Hand Presses, what he knew about this British firm. In reply he scanned this page from a 1906 Harrild catalog, shown at left. This press features a […]
MoreSP20 Manual
I became the proud owner of a beautifull Vandercook SP20 this week. We moved it from Leiden in the Netherlands to Brussels on friday. The press is in reasonable condition I think, allthough before starting to operate it I would like to give it a decent cleanup, regrease and finetune all machine parts. Could Anyone […]
MoreE.O. Vandercook’s grandson reminisces
Today, I received an email from Kurt Vandercook Osenbaugh, a grandson of Vandercook & Sons President Edward O. Vandercook who shared some interesting family anecdotes. He says his grandfather’s middle name reflects a relation to “the Oatman girls,” two girls who were captured by [Yavapai] Indians in 1851. “One died in captivity, the other escaped, […]
MoreVisit to Vandercook Grave and House
Paul Moxon is in Chicago teaching his Vandercook Maintenance class at Evanston Paper and Print so some of us took a tour of Robert O. Vandercook’s grave and his house in Evanston. I’ve posted some photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2052602&l=0ab706a80d&id=1462172660
MoreDave Vandercook and family, Fort Myers FL, 1961
This photograph is of Dave Vandercook, Deceased daughter Barbara Helene and His surving daughter Ann and two of her 4 children. Ann’s surviving children are Joann Moulton, Barbara Belle Moulton, Joseph Sidney Moulton III, Helen Marie Moulton Died Feb 3, 2006.
MoreHouston Vandercook Talk
On Saturday, December 12, I will give my Vandercook history talk at the Museum of Printing History in Houston, Texas. I’ve heard great things about this place and am looking forward to setting up their recently acquired Rocker Series press. Let me know if you will attend.
MoreOne hundred years today
REVISED. The question keeps coming up: when was the first Vandercook sold? A 1909 sales brochure says the first press was sold in May of 1909. The story of that sale was recounted in a 1940 Editor & Publisher profile of R.O. Vandercook: “Vandercook had not intended to stop at proof presses, but planned to […]
MoreHappy Discovery
So, as some of you may remember, I’m restoring an SP20 currently (yeah, I know, I should be done by now… but I’m not.) Well, I’m finally having the rollers recast, and I noticed something yesterday I thought I’d pass along. I was cleaning the gunk off of the ends of my cores to send […]
MoreVandercook & Company ca. 1890
This image is for a billhead for a wood and photoengraving company partnership between H.R. Vandercook and F.N. Tucker in Chicago. H.R. Vandercook and R.O. Vandercook were first cousins. No mention of R.O. having worked there has been found in any trade journals or other documents. Below is a display ad from the […]
MoreVandercook Assembly Line, 1934
This photo shows the interior of the Vandercook & Sons plant at 900 N. Kilpatrick Avenue in Chicago. Similar shots are used in catalogs of this era. In the foreground and suspended at left are 219s, further back are what look to be four 22s, a No. 3 and a 17. The plant built by […]
More