Graphic Media Alliance

In tandem with RIT faculty, the students modeled their work on the Kelmscott/Goudy Albion press that is housed at the Cary Graphic Arts Collection at RIT. The goal was to create a digital twin of the press. The application is called the “19th-Century Printing Press Experience VR” and is free on the Steam digital distribution platform.

Starting with the Old

The name “Kelmscott/Goudy Albion” reflects the heritage and ownership of this 19^th Century cast iron hand press. The word “Albion” is the maker’s brand. This type of printing press was designed by Richard Whittaker Cope and was produced in London. Manufactured for more than a century, RIT’s Kelmscott/Goudy Albion press was built in 1891 by Hopkinson & Cope. It is believed that Cope chose the name “Albion” because of its use as a poetic name for England. This helped at the time to distinguish it from an American competitor, the Columbian press (invented by George Clymer in Philadelphia in 1813).

The word “Kelmscott” is a reference to its first owner, the British designer William Morris. Morris founded the Kelmscott Press and was a leader within the British Arts and Crafts movement. Morris used the press to produce his book entitled “The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer” (1896).

And what about “Goudy”?

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