Golding & Company

Golding & Company was an American manufacturer of platen printing presses and printers' tools, established in 1869 by William Hughson Golding (1845–1916)^[1] in the Fort Hill area of Boston, Massachusetts.^[2]

History

Pearl letterpress used by the Roycroft arts and crafts community

Before 1895, Golding hired Henry Lewis Bullen to print its house organ, which increased sales of the Pearl.^[2] In 1906, Golding's factories moved to Franklin, Massachusetts; its showrooms remained in Boston.^[2]

William Golding died in 1916, but his two sons continued the enterprise.^[2] In 1918, Golding was acquired by American Type Founders (ATF).^[1] The Pearl continued to be made and sold by the Golding Press Division of ATF.^[2] In 1927, Thomson National Company^[3] (manufacturers of the Colt's Armory Press) bought Golding from ATF.^[1]

In 1936, the Craftsmen Machinery Company, of Dedham, Massachusetts, somehow acquired jigs and patterns for the 7 x 11 Improved Pearl, selling it as the CMC Jobber until 1955.^[2]

Printing presses

• Official (~1872)^[4]
• Pearl (1876)
• Improved Pearl (1895)
• Jobber

Archives

The business records of Golding & Co. are held in the Department of Printing and Graphic Arts at Houghton Library, Harvard University. The collection includes business records, patents, designs, and catalogues of Golding equipment.