Copy press

Status

Not on view

Date1780-1850

Geography Possibly made - United StatesPossibly made - England

Medium/TechniqueMahogany

DimensionsOverall (H x W x D): 19 1/2 in. x 17 1/2 in. x 11 3/8 in. (49.53 cm x 44.45 cm x 28.89 cm)

Credit LinePurchase, 1955

Object numberM-2017

DescriptionDesign:
Copy, letter, or book press with two flat-arched uprights, an adjustable upper plate activated by a long helix screw with an inverted baluster finial turned by a movable cylindrical handle with flattened knob ends, and a fixed base plate with an ogee base molding. The fixed crossrail of the press has a hole at center to allow the screw to pass through. A thick, turned wooden disk with a complex molded edge is screwed to the top of the crossrail, above the screw hole. The juncture of the screw and the adjustable plate is surrounded by a similar, but wider turned wooden disk. Two removable mahogany boards are inserted between the base plate and the adjustable upper plate.

Construction:
The uprights are through-tenoned into the base plate. The fixed crossrail is through-tenoned into the uprights and wedged. The base molding is nailed to the edge of the base.

Mount Vernon's object research is ongoing and information about this object is subject to change. For information on image use and reproductions, click here.