Dear friends of Vandercookpress.info. I’d like to share a bit about the history of this press and my hypotheses about its journey to Brazil. Perhaps you can help me clarify some questions.
I purchased this Vandercook No. 3 (serial 8122) in the second half of 2022, in São Paulo, from a mechanic who had acquired it many years earlier as part of the estate of a deceased printer. Unfortunately, he was unable to provide me details about the exact date of this acquisition or the machine’s earlier history.
My hypothesis is that this press arrived in Brazil in the late 1930s or during the 1940s. This assumption is based on the historical context of that time. From the 1930s to 1945, Brazil adopted a series of protectionist policies aimed at fostering the development of its national industry while limiting the import of various industrial equipment, including graphic equipment. In fact, some of Brazil’s leading graphic industries of the 20th century emerged during this period. Regarding the printing sector, until Brazil entered World War II, the country maintained a strong commercial relationship with Germany, including the frequent importation of printing presses and graphic equipment from there. However, between 1939 and 1940, these imports were drastically reduced, and by 1941–42, when Brazil’s enter the war, they were completely halted.
The scenario remained relatively constant after the war until the 1960s. With the subsequent market opening, there was notable advancement in adopting modern printing equipment and technologies. Many records indicate the import of models such as the SP15, SP20, and Universal I, which were commonly used by Linotype suppliers and newspapers.
Additionally, the machine itself caught my attention for a few reasons: the serial number (8122) on the cylinder and printing rail, the identification tag, the layout of the cabinet, and the lever for the print isolator. All of this leads me to believe that this machine might have been brought to Brazil by the the end of 1930s and the mid-1940s.
Attached, I’m sending you some photos of my No. 3, which is currently in my lab at FUMEC University, and an SP15 (serial 29909) that is part of the collection at 62 Pontos (@62pontos), a collective of designers and graphic artists that I’m part of.
If you have any ideas or information that could help fill in these gaps, I would be very grateful!
Edited: The corresponding cards found
The Printing Stewards or the Museum of Printing may have some history about Lanston or be able to aid your research.
Vandercook was a leader within the printing industry. Throughout the company’s life, it has entered into numerous business agreements with other equipment manufacturers and makers of ink, paper, and large printing houses.
Vandercook advertised widely in the trade journals and in the type catalogs such as American Type Founders catalogs for 1912 and 1935, but conspicuously not in the famous 1923 edition.
Other prominent advertisements appear in the 1925 Barnhart Brothers & Spindler catalog and the monumental printers’ specimen Achievements in Photo-Engraving and Letter-Press Printing published in 1927.
Paul, thank you very much for the information. I have edited my original post to make the purchase cards easier to view. This discovery has raised a few questions for me.
The first one concerns about Lanston’s activities in Brazil at the time. It is known that since 1929, Lanston had maintained a presence in the country. Is there any bibliography that can be recommend about the activities of Lanston Monotype at that time? Particularly regarding its expansion into South America?
Another question relates to the ties between Vandercook and Lanston. Reading the company’s brief history here on the website, it seems to me that due to the particularities of its products, Vandercook remained independent from the major companies of the time but maintained close ties. Am I correct?
At last, I recall seeing a mention at some point of an ATF catalog featuring Vandercook products. Is there a digitized copy of this catalog available?
I asked Fritz Klinke at NA Graphics to share the serial number cards for these presses, both of which were shipped from Chicago directly to Brazil.
https://vandercookpress.info/wp-admin/upload.php?item=25446
https://vandercookpress.info/wp-admin/upload.php?item=25447