Special Collections Department
R. Hoe & Company
Collection
1876 - 1929
Manuscript Collection Number: 469
Accessioned: Purchase, 1989
Extent: 1 linear ft. (ca. 54 items)
Content: Catalogs, ephemera, letterhead,
patents, price lists, scrapbook
Access: The collection is open for research.
Processed: 2002 by Theresa
Hessey
Special Collections, University of Delaware Library
Newark, Delaware 19717-5267
(302) 831-2229
Table of Contents
Biographical Note
Born in England in 1784, Robert Hoe studied carpentry before immigrating to the United States in 1803. Upon arrival, Hoe met Matthew Smith and together they formed Smith, Hoe & Company in 1805 in New York City, specializing in the manufacture of wooden hand presses. Due to the nature of the materials used, Smith and Hoe decided to incorporate saw-making into their business. Following the death of Smith, Hoe took over the company and changed its name to R. Hoe & Company in 1822. He continued to manufacture printing presses and along with his sons made numerous improvements upon existing machinery. In 1827, Hoe bought and improved Samuel Rust’s patent for a wrought iron framed press and began manufacturing it as the “Washington” press. After his death in 1833, his sons Richard and Robert overtook daily operation of the company and are credited with introducing various improvements and obtaining patents for these innovations. Consequently, R. Hoe & Company firmly established its products as superior to those of European design. Notable advances made by R. Hoe & Company included a mechanical sheet delivery system for fast cylinder presses, the rotary printing press, and the first type revolving presses. The work of R. Hoe & Company helped facilitate the rapid and cheap production of newspapers.
In 1886, after the deaths of his father and his uncle, Robert Hoe III assumed control of the company. In the years following, he became better known for book collecting than for manufacturing. After his death in 1909, his son, Robert Hoe IV gained control but resigned by 1924. In that year the company was incorporated and a board of directors was announced. Robert Kelly was named president and the Hoe family no longer ran the company. During World War II, the company began to manufacture parts for weapons. After the war, however, the price of Hoe stock dropped and by 1969 the company was forced to claim bankruptcy. Throughout the 1970s, the Hoe factory was dismantled while the board focused on revitalizing the saw-making aspect of the company. In 1984, Pacific Saw and Knife Company purchased R. Hoe & Company and formed Pacific/Hoe Saw and Knife Company. It is still in operation today.
Sources
Comparato, Frank E. Chronicles of genius and folly : R. Hoe & Company and the printing press as a service to democracy. Culver City, Ca. : Labyrinthos, c1979.Additional information derived from the collection.
Scope and Content Note
The R. Hoe & Company Collection consists of one linear foot of material spanning the dates 1876 to 1929. During this period, the company main offices were located in the block 504 to 520 Grand Street in New York City. The collection includes catalogs for various pieces of printing machinery, samples of company letterhead, price lists for materials produced by R. Hoe & Company, printed collections of publisher opinions regarding the quality and efficiency of Hoe products, British patents extended to R. Hoe & Company for manufacture in London, assorted printed ephemera of R. Hoe & Company, and ephemera related to William R. Fish, a civil engineer who patented various improvements in the field of printing technology.
Contents List
Box -- Folder -- Contents
1 F1 R. Hoe & Co., Printers’ and Binders’ Price-List, 1876
F2 R. Hoe & Co., Fast Newspaper Printing and
Folding Machines, 1877
Catalogue
F3 R. Hoe & Co.’s Price List March, 1880
F4 R. Hoe & Co.’s Catalogue of Binders’ Presses and
Materials, 1881
F5 R. Hoe & Co.’s Catalogue of Machinery and
Materials for Electrotyping, 1890
F6 Catalogue of Some of R. Hoe & Co.’s Patent Type
and Stereotype Fast Newspaper, Pamphlet and Book
Perfecting Printing Machines, 1892
F7 Various Catalogues, 1888
Contains four catalogues bound together; R. Hoe
and Co.’s Catalogue of Printing Presses, 1891, R.
Hoe & Co.’s Catalogue of Printing Materials,
1888, R. Hoe & Co.’s Catalogue of Machinery and
Materials for Electrotyping, 1890, and R. Hoe &
Co.’s Catalogue of Machinery and Materials for
Stereotyping, 1891
F8 The “Observer” Stereotype Perfecting Printing
Machine and Folder, 1894
Listing of offices using Hoe products
F9 R. Hoe & Co.’s Sextuple Stereotype Perfecting
Press and Folder, 1895
Listing of offices using Hoe products
F10 R. Hoe & Co., Catalogue of Improved Printing Presses, 1895
F11 R. Hoe & Co., Some Fast Newspaper Printing
Machines with Folders, 1895
F12 R. Hoe & Co.’s Catalogue of Printing Materials, 1897
F13 R. Hoe & Co.’s Catalogue of Machinery and
Materials for Electrotyping, Stereotyping and
Photo-Engraving, 1898
F14 R. Hoe & Co.’s Multi-Color Perfecting Printing
Machine and Folder for Newspapers, 1899
F15 R. Hoe & Co.’s Single Large Cylinder, News and
Job, and Flat-Bed Newspaper Presses, 1901
F16 Various Catalogues, 1903
Contains Improved Quadruple, Sextuple and Color
Combination Newspaper Perfecting Presses, 1903,
Some New Hoe Fast Speed Newspaper Presses, 1903,
R. Hoe & Co.’s Patented Improved Two-Roll Three-
Roll and Four-Roll Two-Plate Wide also Double
Supplement Newspaper Perfecting Presses, 1903
2 F17 R. Hoe & Co.’s Improved Machinery and Materials for
Electrotyping, Stereotyping and Photo-Engraving, 1904
F18 Various Catalogues, 1919-1921
Contains Circular Saws, Bits, Shanks and Saw Tools
also Printing Machinery, 1919, Supplement to 1919
Edition Catalogue, Revised List Prices, 1921
F19 What Publisher’s Say, 1925
Includes printings of letters from publishers who
use machinery manufactured by R. Hoe & Co.
regarding their satisfaction with the products
F20 Various Catalogues, 1925
Contains Hoe Rotary Two-Color Lithographing Press
with Suction Feed and Pile Delivery, Style F-2-D,
1925, Hoe Rotary Two-Color Offset Lithographing
Press with Suction Feed and Pile Delivery, Style F-
2-O, 1925
F21 Hoe Electrotyping Machinery Accessories and
Supplies, 1925
F22 Hoe Universal-Unit Multi-Color and Black Rotary
Web Perfecting Presses, 1925
F23 Hoe Photo-Engraving Machinery Accessories and
Supplies, 1926
F24 R. Hoe & Co., Inc., Saw Manufacturers, Jobbers’
Special Discounts, 1929
F25 Miscellaneous advertisements and catalogues, n.d.
F26 Catálogo de R. Hoe y Compañia, 1873
F27 R. Hoe & Co., Fabricants de machines et matériel
de stéréotypie, galvanolastie et photogravure,
1906
F28 Patents 1892-1894
Contains British patents granted to R. Hoe & Co.
through intermediaries in the Office of Patents,
London spanning the years, 1892-1894
F29 R. Hoe & Co. Ephemera
Includes two manufacturer’s labels, “Our
Reputation, Our Declaration of Principles”
distributed to employees, a code book for
telegraphic cables, a print of a drawing of the
Hoe Manufactory, an unattached back cover of a
catalogue, and a company folder
F30 Scrapbook
Contains a scrapbook of materials relating to R.
Hoe & Co. including sample invoices, form
letters, and advertisements
3 F31 William R. Fish Ephemera
Includes various notes, chemical formulations,
invoices, and correspondence of William R. Fish, a
civil engineer. Also included is Fish’s patent
for improvements in the production of transfer
sheets for lithographic and other printing
processes and a legal agreement allowing Mary
Miner to practice, use, and vend Fish’s inventions
F32 A. G. Burton’s Sons, Inc. and Butler and Kelly
Contains a Printers and Book Binders Machinery
catalogue for A. G. Burton’s Sons, Inc. and a
business card for Butler and Kelly, Engravers and
Printers
F33 S. J. Clark’s Sons, Inc.
Includes a catalogue of printing samples
F34 Duplex Printing Press Company
Contains a catalogue for the Duplex Flat-Bed Web-
Perfecting Newspaper Press
F35 Empire Type Foundry
Contains a catalogue of type, paper, inks, and
metals used in the printing process
F36 Klapperich and Company
Includes a catalogue of Blue Label Fresco Stencils and Letter Patterns
F37 Charles F. Persons, J. W. Ostrander, and Whitlock Cylinder
Contains a business card for Charles F. Persons, a
steam printing establishment, an advertisement for
a combined saw and trimmer manufactured by J. W.
Ostrander, and a print of a Whitlock Cylinder
F38 Miller and Richard, Edinburgh
An Epitome of Specimens of Magazine and Newspaper Founts
F39 Stephenson, Black and Co., London
Specimens of Newspaper Founts
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Last modified: 01/19/11
