Outdoor village type museums such as the one I work at often have a working
old fashioned print shop. Such photo images could be printed by their staff
though you would likely have to wait for their spring/summer season as they
usually close down at this time of year. Our museum is open but only for
booked school groups as the normal winter rain keeps the general public
away. Check with your state museum association or the AAM Museum Directory
for such museums in your area.

As another reader of this list suggested, you should be able to find local
Hobby letter press operators who would be much cheaper than the $200/print
you were quoted.

I am a bit rusty but here goes: A "platen press" should be able to print
these pictures for you. Basic process is that they place the wood block into
a "chase" (iron frame somewhat like a picture frame. Then "furniture"  is
used to fill the space on all four sides of the block. Then "quoins" are
used to 'lock' the picture block in place.

If you cannot find anyone locally, contact me at [log in to unmask]
though I am sure you can find a closer source. We are on the West Coast
(i.e. British Columbia -- Burnaby is next door to Vancouver). My boss would
LOVE for us to be paid US$200 per image!

Colin Macgregor Stevens,
Curator,
Burnaby Village Museum,
Burnaby, BC, CANADA

============================================
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of Vanda Bushfield
...
We have some pictures that we would like to use in our exhibit that date
from around 1920.  They were in a book published by the Department at
that time.  Unfortunately we do not have any negatives or even high copy
qualities of the pictures.  What we do have are "print plates"?  They
are some sort of metal plate with the image on them attached to a wooden
base.  Does anyone know where I can find out more information about this
process?  Also, does anyone know of anyone who might be able to
reproduce this process?  We have spoken with a printing house in town
who has some older equipment that will apparently do the job, at $200
per print.  ....

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