Wood and Zinc Letterpress Printing Block "Personal Appearance The United States"

Description

This zinc cut was hand mounted on a wood printing block and was used to print promotional materials for The US Navy Band appearances.  The cuts were photographically engraved, creating an electrotype cut. The cut was then mounted on a hard wood block so that it would be the standard height to fit into a letterpress printing press. Multiple pieces of block were put together to make one larger printed piece.  The ink was applied by rollers onto the blocks that were in the chase, then the block was pressed onto the paper, creating the poster.  In this case another block probably butted against this one to produce a larger poster than named the performance time and place.  This poster was used to promote the band's appearances.  The block measures 10 1/2" in length by 2 5/8" in height.  It's the standard type thickness of about 7/8".  It was likely produced and used in the 1930’s or 40’s.
My husband’s grandfather, Norman I. Shapiro owned a printing company, Globe Poster Corporation, located in Baltimore, Maryland and during his decades of printing he did many posters for fairs, circuses, carnivals, concerts, auto races, entertainment destinations and other customers across the country.  This blocks were discovered in his plant after he passed away in 1984.
This collectible printing block are the remaining treasures of an era gone by.