When I first moved to Baltimore four years ago, I heard about Globe printing. A mythical press deep in the heart of Charm City which produced showcards for soul, rhythm and blues, hip hop and rock artists since the 1920s. I've collected show posters for as long as I can remember, and was so excited to discover Globe's existence in my new backyard. They are known for their neon colors, bold systems of typographic hierarchy, rainbow rolls (yeah you know the split fountain) and moving type.
A few weeks ago in my letterpress class we took a field trip to the shop. What an awesome opportunity! So much history, so much woodtype, so many GIANT printing presses. Bob Cicero was incredibly knowledgeable, kind and gracious. He took us on a tour of the shop, told us how they used to do things in the old days, and explained a press 20 times bigger than I am. Sadly, Globe is closing it's doors. It is my most sincere hope that the Globe Collection is purchased and utalized by MICA and the letterpress community to preserve such a huge part of music + Baltimore legend. Think of how great that could be!
Read more about Globe in this excellent city paper issue.
Help pay Globe's rent and buy an awesome poster here.
Old School Commercial Press
Just hanging round the shop
Bob and Mary Mashburn describing the joys of rubylith
Printing is some serious Big Boy Shit.
