We're fortunate to live so close to what was once the world's largest printing plant, the Government Printing Office. Being only a mile away from the facility, it would be an easy commute if, instead of being occasional practitioners, we toiled full-time in the Black Art. Perhaps it was this easy commute that appealed to previous occupants of our house. Several GPO printers have called our house home, starting just after the turn of the 20th century.Shorpy's Harris+Ewing collection has some great glass-plate negatives from the GPO's heyday. We favor this particular shot from the composition room. Note the endless pile of forms sitting in galley trays down the center of the photo. That right there is more type than we'll likely set in our entire life. We kinda get the feeling that the previous occupants of our house are looking down and smirking at our humble basement operation.
enlarged from top image
I couldn't help but notice the serious looks on all the gents in the second photo. Either work was not much fun in those days or their starched shirts, ties and suits prevented them from frivolity during picture taking. I think back at some of our family photos and would have appreciated a second or two of seriousness! And my sons still act that way in photos, even thought they crossed the threshold of adulthood two decades ago.
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