Marchbanks Press Calendar

This month’s artifact is a calendar for August 1918, printed by the Marchbanks Press. The Marchbanks Press sent monthly calendars to their patrons, featuring different techniques and styles that the press could put to use for their clients. Historian Paul Shaw has an in-depth article about the company and its calendar. The printing house started producing these advertising calendars in the 1910s, and continued to do so into the 1930s. The calendars feature an illustration and related text that usually came back to the fine printing job Marchbanks could do for a client. 

August 1918 references the need to conserve paper as part of the war effort. While rationing is more often associated with World War II, it also took place in the “Great War.” Newspapers printed smaller editions, in both page counts and page size. Other items that were rationed included rubber and metals. In World War I, conservation and wise use of foods was encouraged in the US, but rationing of meat and other foodstuffs did not happen until WWII. While Marchbanks Press encouraged efficient printing and paper use, three paper-related products saw increased use during this time: sanitary towels, paper tissues, and tea bags! 

We hope that you enjoyed this peek at our collection! We'll be back next month with another artifact. Have a great August!