Label Type
Object LabelLabel
Albion Press
c. 1829
Richard Whittaker Cope (British, died 1827), inventor
Harrild & Sons, London, manufacturer
Cast-iron
Gift of Vernon P. Hearn
1992.024.01
The Albion Press, a platen press similar in design to the Gutenberg Press, was developed in London in the early 1820s by Richard Whittaker Cope. It is thought that Cope chose the name “Albion,” a lyrical term poets had used to describe England, in response to the recent arrival of the Columbian Press with its American eagle ornaments. This version of the Albion, manufactured by Harrild & Sons of London, was known as a portable overland press. Unlike most cast-iron hand presses of the time, which were bulky, heavy, and unsuited to moving by wagon or stage, the Albion could be broken down into six parts for comparatively easy transport over long distances in the United States and Mexico.
A press similar to this Albion was acquired by Samuel Bangs for the state government of Coahuila y Tejas (Coahuila and Texas) circa 1829. Over the next two decades, it was used to print official government materials. It is unclear whether Samuel Bangs, who had begun importing presses into Mexico and Texas in the mid–1820s, printed on this press or whether he simply orchestrated the sale. In either case, it was likely similar to the press on which he printed the Gazeta Constitucional de Coahuiltejas (Constitutional Gazette of Coahuiltejas) from 1829–1830.
Some sources suggest that this press remained in use by the government of Coahuila until about 1880, when it was acquired by private printers/family business. It then remained in a printing plant until 1976, when it was acquired from Ricardo Cano Robles y Castillo of Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico.