Specimens of printing types, cuts, borders, &c. contained in the State Gazette Printing Establishment

John L. Murphy

The Daily State Gazette was a newspaper published in Trenton, New Jersey from 1863-1918. John L. Murphy, who had gotten his start as an errand boy for the newspaper around 1838, served first as an apprentice, then an employee for the company until 1855, when he established his own book and job printing business, the Franklin Printing Office. The printing business proved successful and Murphy bought the newspaper when it was put up for sale in 1869. The paper came to be regarded as the "State organ" of the Republican Party in New Jersey. Murphy also invested in the company's book and job printing department, procuring a large supply of new type faces. A brief (somewhat hagiographic) history section is illustrated with numerous engravings showing employees at work in various departments of the company, as well as the exterior and expansion of the building over time. The catalog portion contains specimens of type metal, cuts, ornaments, and rule available through the printing department at the State Gazette during Murphy's tenure as publisher and owner. It is not clear if the company ever manufactured any of its own type. No specific type foundries are credited on the specimens in this catalog, but Murphy does acknowledge his indebtedness to the MacKellar, Smiths & Jordan firm in repeating many of the same "epigrams, sentences and words" used in their specimen book in displaying his own selection of type --Am. Type Found. Typ. Lib. & Mus. Cat. 1936, page 100