The American Typefounders Matrix Cabinets and Galley Rack have arrived! This is the first time these cabinets, matrices and Barth casters have all been in the same building since the 1993 auction when ATF collapsed. Thank you to
@bowerbox for leading the effort to bring these cabinets from the Smithsonian to the foundry! Thank you to
@printmuseum and the crew you led at the Smithsonian for sharing these cabinets with us, and especially
@smallcapitalpress for helping with logistics, and
@jonraedeke and others for helping prep the cabinets. Thank you to
@tribuneshowprint and
@letterpressrob for loading, hauling, and unloading the cabinets the last miles from
@ebecks barn! Thank you to
@typesyturvy and Ted for helping position and partially fill the rack this weekend. Thank you to all of the crews who’ve been here this spring and summer for your help cleaning and sorting and moving (including
@m_o_l_l_o_y @tobi.j.haus @barriersnow @stephtysonosorio @jkarlsbe @jacob.tate_art @leaddite and others). Thank you to everyone who has been supporting financially, and everyone over the last few years who has been there physically. This is a foundational achievement. It’s of course historically resonant to reunite these items, but it is also a practical necessity. The galleys storing the matrices were stacked a dozen deep, making them extremely difficult to access. And the galleys are custom, making them incompatible with standard racks. Before Val brought this opportunity to us, we were contemplating building expensive cabinets from scratch. But now the mats will be accessible in their historic home, ready for casting, cataloging, and further exploration. We’ve all worked together for this. It’s a huge achievement, built out of a thousand small efforts that we have expended together.
