IPPDS and EU Souvenir Card F 1989H WPPU "The Beech Card" Reprint Green Vignettee
This Engraved print was produced by members of the Washington Plate Printers Union to honor collector requests to reissue a card that first appeared in a union convention book earlier this year.
The Harry Beech convention page engraving was originally printed in a maroon ink with a complementary inscription in black. The format of the reissued card is slightly different. This card was printed in green ink by hand on a 19th century intaglio spider press. A second pass was required to add a brown union seal at the bottom.
The Beech card was engraved by Thomas Hipschen is an internationally renowned engraver at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Hipschen is an internationally renowned engraver at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Hipschen is an internationally renowned engraver. His portfolio includes nearly 100 U.S. postage stamps, official presidential portraits, and portraits for use on foreign currency.
Beech, a plate printing foreman at the BEP for many years, first approached Hipschen in 1987 about commissioning a personalized intaglio (engraved) page for the 1989 convention book. He first had in mind a portrait of himself at a modern printing press. The two craftsmen decided that a hand press would tie in better with the plate printers logo and would also add a more interesting historical aspect to the subject.
Hipschen has long admired the copperplate engraving that illustrate Abraham Bosse's treatise on engraving. The Beech engraving executed by Hipschen is based on the Bosse engraving titled "Printing a Line Engraving." The Bosse engraving shows a print shop as essentially the same design as today's proving presses.
The charming original Bosse print hangs in the British Museum today. From the print Hipschen took the press and posture of the printer. He added Beeche's facial features and simplified the background. The engraving took almost two years to complete as a spare time project.
WE HAVE MANY MORE SOUVENIR CARDS IN STORE
Visitors Center Cancelled: with stamps and postal cancellation at BEP Visitors Center on day of issue (some early cancels are simply Washington, DC circular date stamps, most are Visitors Center pictorial cancels)
