Monthly Supplement of the Penny Magazine, Vol.II, November 30-December 31, 1833, (p. 505)
I found this image of a Stanhope press quite provocative. I imagine it is lit by the moon–a full moon? — notice the highlights on the cloud visible through the window. This quiet press glows with a pale whiteness, waiting for ink blackened type, which like the darkness outside is full of possibilities. Is this press coming to life; rising out of the cross it rests on, its bar reaching towards the light? There is a loneliness here: no people, no ink, no visible type, no printed sheets. The open frisket and windowpane visually merge; a reminder, perhaps slightly cliched, that the printed page is indeed a window?
Peachey Conservation 