Volunteering at the Benjamin Franklin Exhibition London

Franklin in London: 300 years later

 This February, St Bartholomew The Great Church celebrated a significant milestone: the 300th anniversary of Benjamin Franklin’s apprenticeship at Samuel Palmer’s workshop in the historic Lady Chapel. The exhibition served as a dual tribute, recognising both the significance of Palmer's printing workshop and Franklin's formative experience as a young apprentice. 

St Bartholomew The Great is the oldest surviving parish church in London, located centrally in West Smithfield. The Lady Chapel of the Priory, recorded being built in 1335 and situated in the eastern end of the church, is a testament to the church’s long and storied past: once reserved as a sacred site where the Virgin Mary allegedly appeared in the 12th Century; later separated from the rest of the church, post-reformation, and transformed into Samuel Palmer’s 18th Century printing workshop. 

The month-long Benjamin Franklin Exhibition temporarily rewound time, turning the Lady Chapel back into Palmer's printing workshop. Throughout the month, the daily production of new prints filled the air with the scent of ink and the satisfying thud of the press. Specialist hand press printers and hard-working assistant volunteers operated a functional replica of the 18th-century press, on loan from the University of Reading, which Franklin himself would’ve used 300 years ago. The original press used by Franklin in 1725 is now housed in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington. Despite being a replica, the press on loan to St Barts gave hundreds of visitors an authentic experience to the craft of early printing as the church happily welcomed individuals, groups and societies to partake in printing workshops alongside professional printers. 

 

Replica Franklin Press, on loan from the University of Reading 

Context 

On Christmas Eve 1724, the ambitious 18-year-old Benjamin Franklin moved to London from Philadelphia. Leaving behind his apprenticeship under his older brother James in Boston, Franklin arrived with dreams of a grander printing career in London, the epicentre of the English-speaking world's intellectual and commercial life. Franklin's vision ultimately led him to Samuel Palmer's workshop nestled within the Lady Chapel of Bartholomew Close. This pivotal period for Franklin, often overshadowed by his monumental successes and achievements later in life, was a crucible where the seeds of his ingenuity were sown as a journeyman printer.

As author, inventor and as Founding Father, Franklin's legacy lies in the birth of the United States. His inky signature graced all four key paper documents establishing the US: the Declaration of Independence (1776), the Treaty of Alliance with France (1778), the Treaty of Paris establishing peace with Great Britain (1783) and the U.S Constitution (1787). However, the vital apprenticeship at the very start of his adulthood provided him with a hands-on education in the very craft that would fuel his intellectual pursuits. In Palmer's workshop, Franklin worked as a compositor (typesetter) and pressman, not only learning the mechanics of printing but, more importantly, the power of the printed word to shape ideas and influence society. Therefore, to overlook Franklin's London years is to overlook the most influential period of his life marked by the skills of marrying paper and ink through mass printing. 

I was lucky enough to volunteer as Printer’s Assistant in the Lady Chapel, assisting two highly skilled printers in this temporary workshop. Having never used a Franklin letterpress before, I was eager to the learn the intricate process of printing from enthusiastic printers and expand my own knowledge. Our role in the workshop was to print and subsequently sell as many A4 and A5 prints from both the 18th-Century replica Franklin press and a smaller, more modern steel press. We printed special texts by Rev. Marcus on A4 sheets of paper, as well as customisable keepsakes on A5 sheets of paper. We used an oil-based black ink for the prints, made from linseed oil and the soot- typically found in chimneys. 

Franklin Press: Step-by-Step Guide

1. Load a damp sheet of paper into the paper holder. The paper is more pliable and receptive to the ink when it’s slightly damp as it allows the ink to sink into the letter’s grooves and pick up finer and clearer details
2. Spread the ink out on a flat surface with a brayer (a large roller), which simply transfers a thin layer of ink evenly to the brayer’s curved surface
3. Roll the brayer across the type form (a metal platform in which arranged letter types create the desired, raised text). The type form is held in place by wooden ‘furniture’ (blocks of wood to stop the metal letters from budging)
4. Once the ink is applied evenly to the raised letter types, close the paper hold and place it on top of the press bed
5. Use the lever to roll the coffin (the structure in which the type form is encased) underneath the wood platen
6. Pull the horizontal lever to ensure a forceful contact of the damp paper and the inked-up letters under the press 
7. Roll out the coffin and lift up the paper holder to reveal the print!

My Experience 

In the digital age, we are accustomed to the effortless command of a button to align paragraphs, format documents with precision and indent texts with a simple keystroke. Equally, the choice of specific fonts, letter size and toggling capitalisation is embedded within a software interface. Even the act of composing this very sentence is aided by automated alignment and formatting by my computer. This seamless process, while undeniably efficient, majorly contrasts the intricate artistry of traditional typesetting.

At the Franklin Exhibition, I learnt the meticulous craft of setting type. It was a hands-on lesson in selecting font type and size, and then physically arranging the moveable pieces of metal 'type' (which consisted of letters, numbers, punctuation marks and spaces) into the desired text. What struck me the most was the counter-intuitive need to arrange the individual letters in reverse order, a crucial step to ensure the printed words would appear in the correct order. These letter types are traditionally stored in shallow wooden drawers called cases: smaller letters, used more frequently in texts, are stored in the lower case which is lower down so it is easier to reach; whereas capital letters, infrequently used, are stored in the upper case placed above the lower case. It is truly fascinating to realise that both well-known terms 'lowercase' and 'uppercase' are a direct reference to the physical position of the type in a typical printing workshop!

Engaging in typesetting instilled in me a deeper understanding of typography's core principles, especially the creation of a harmonious, seamless flow of words and achieving clear, effective communication through the labour of hand-setting type. 

Wooden cases containing metal type

My role at the Franklin Exhibition extended beyond assisting with printing and typesetting. I also had the pleasure of welcoming visitors into the exhibition space, explaining the history of the Franklin press and answering any further questions they had. I engaged with visitors from across the globe and their enthusiasm and eagerness to learn often inspired me. Throughout my life, I have actively sought out bursts of inspiration from both connecting with different people and environments. Volunteering at this exhibition not only ignited my appreciation for this tangible creative practice, but also proudly reaffirmed to me the inherent human desire to learn, explore and live with curiosity! 

Mieke Lammens, 26 March, 2025