Spiral Press Collection
Scope and Contents
The Spiral Press Collection contains material printed by the Spiral Press, either as job work or fine press publications. Materials included in the collection: book jackets, brochures, business cards, certificates and forms christmas cards, corporate publications and annuals, exhibition ephemera, such as flyers and catalogs, letterheads and envelopes, limited edition books, particularily relating to Robert Frost.
Dates
- Creation: 1928-1971
Creator
- Spiral Press (Organization)
- Blumenthal, Joseph (Printer, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open to researchers.
Biographical / Historical
The Spiral Press was a fine press founded by American printer Joseph Blumenthal in 1926. In addition to printing limited edition publications for clients, the press also printed ephemera like invitations, bookplates, and stationery to supplement the fine presswork. The Spiral Press also did typographic work for larger publishers such as Random House and Henry Holt, designing jackets and book release advertisements. Blumenthal also designed a typeface, Emerson, for use at the Press. The Press served a variety of institutional clients, such as the Pierpont Morgan Library, The New School, Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Knoedler Art Galleries, American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the American Institute of Graphic Arts. The Spiral Press also published limited editions for the poet Robert Frost, and worked closely with artists such as Ben Shahn, Antonio Frasconi, and Fritz Eichenberg. Blumenthal closed the press in 1971.
Extent
7.88 Linear Feet (18 document boxes, 3 oversize boxes)
Language
English
Overview
The Spiral Press Collection contains ephemera printed by the Spiral Press for various clients, both personal and corporate. Collection is organized by client, and then by genre. Objects include stationery, publications, book jackets, advertising materials, exhibition catalogs, and Christmas cards.
Arrangement
The collection is organized into two series: I. Printed Ephemera by Client; and II. Graphic Work by Genre. Collection is arranged alphabetically, then chronologically.
Bibliography
- Blumenthal, Joseph. The Spiral Press through Four Decades, an Exhibition of Books and Ephemera. New York: Pierpont Morgan Library, 1966.
- Blumenthal, Joseph. Typographic Years: A Printer's Journey through a Half-century, 1925-1975. New York: F.C. Beil, 1982.
- Cronenwett, Philip N., and Jerry Kelly. The Spiral Press, 1926-1971: A Bibliographical Checklist. New York: American Printing History Association, 2002.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Lauren Alberque, October 2015.
Finding aid encoded by Lauren Alberque, October 2015.
Subject
- M. Knoedler & Co. (Organization)
- Hispanic Society of America (Organization)
- Haydn Society (Boston, Mass.) (Organization)
- Grolier Club (Organization)
- Frost, Robert (Person)
- Frick Collection (Organization)
- Shahn, Ben (Artist, Person)
- Corning Glass Works (Organization)
- Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.) (Organization)
- Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.) (Organization)
- Weyhe Gallery (Organization)
- Eichenberg, Fritz (Artist, Person)
- Charles Scribner's Sons (Organization)
- Random House (Firm) (Organization)
- American Academy in Rome (Organization)
- American Institute of Graphic Arts (Organization)
- National Institute of Arts and Letters (U.S.) (Organization)
- Spiral Press (Organization)
- Pantheon Books (Organization)
- Twentieth Century Fund (Organization)
- Steuben Glass, inc. (Organization)
- New School for Social Research (New York, N.Y. : 1919-1997) (Organization)
- Frasconi, Antonio (Artist, Person)
- Columbia University (Organization)
- CBS Inc. (Organization)
- National Insitute of Arts and Letters (U.S.) (Organization)
- American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters (Organization)
- Rogers, Bruce (Person)
- Pierpont Morgan Library (Organization)
- West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company (Organization)
- Title
- Spiral Press Collection
- Status
- In Progress
- Subtitle
- Cary Special Collections
- Author
- Lauren Alberque
- Date
- 19 October 2015
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the Cary Graphic Arts Collection Repository
