Women’s Co-operative Printing Union

Women’s Co-operative Printing Union

Women
Printing
Typesetting
San Francisco
California
19th Century
The Sixth Star
Typographical Union
WCPU

A visually printed illustration showing one woman using a printing machine with the name ‘L.Curtis’ by her foot. Below is a transcript of different fonts and sizes reading “Every description of printing neatly executed, at the Women’s Co-operative Printing Union, 424 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, Cal”. This illustration appeared in “The Sixth Star” on May 18, 1870.For a woman to become a typesetter, she had to have a high level of spelling, grammar and dexterity which lead this profession to become one of the most prestigious jobs a woman could have in San Francisco. Woman more commonly worked as typesetters than men.

L. Curtis – Assumed source was created in San Francisco

Found SF

http://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=File:Womenprinting_grayscale.jpg
[Date Accessed – 08/11/17]

18 May 1870

Freya Harper

Berkeley Library – University of California
Bancroft Library
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/libraries/bancroft-library

English

Visual - printed illustration

19th century California