William Caxton

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William Caxton appears on the facade of Scribners Sons Building, New York City alongside Johannes  Gutenberg and Benjamin Franklin



The Charles Scribner's Sons Building at 597 Fifth Avenue is one of Midtown's best surviving commercial buildings from the early 20th century.  Designed in 1912 by Ernest Flagg, architect of the Little Singer Building on Broadway and an earlier building for Scribner's at 153-157 Fifth Avenue, 597 Fifth Avenue is a virtuoso melding of Parisian detailing and New York scale.

Built for the distinguished publishing company as a corporate headquarters, the building incorporates a two storey retail interior featuring graceful wrought-iron balconies overlooking a central space the AIA Guide to New York City calls "an almost-basilica".

The exterior is both ornate and serene, melding an eye-catching but graceful verticality to the full menu of French Second Empire and Beaux Arts effects, including a two storey wrought iron shop-front; a mansard roof flanked by two Egyptian obelisks; and medallions commemorating great printers from the past, including William Caxton, Benjamin Franklin and Johann Gutenberg.

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William Caxton statue on the Exhibition Road façade of The Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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The Caxton Celebration – Wiliam Caxton showing specimens of his printing to King Edward IV and his Queen.

Published in The Graphic in 1877 refering to The Caxton Celebration. The Caxton Celebration, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the first printed book in England, took place in London in the summer of 1877.
Date   30 June 1877



The Graphic was a British weekly illustrated newspaper, first published on 4 December 1869.

[Dave Hughes]

The more eagle-eyed among you may have noticed that a portion of the above illustration was used on the cover of Printers' Tales, a compilation of the best stories, etc. on the Metal Type website. It's a cracking read!

If you haven't heard of it, you can find more details here: Printers' Tales.

If you just want to buy a copy, click this link.

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Ringtons Tea      Historical Scenes  1964      Caxton appeared on card number 12 in a series of 25

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Hignett Cigarette cards set Historical London from 1926
Caxton was card number 9 of 25

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Glengetties Tea      Historical Scenes 1968      Caxton appeared on card number 12 in a series of 25





The image and wording is the same as used in the Ringtons Tea card used in 1964