Irish Ink:

Printing and Visualizing the

Dolmen Press Collection

Society of North Carolina Archivists 2017 Annual Conference March 16, 2017

Craig Fansler, Preservation Librarian, Special Collections & Archives, ZSR Library, Wake Forest University fanslerc@wfu.edu
The Dolmen Press
Founded by Liam and Josephine Miller in 1951
Focused on Irish poets and artists
Handmadein Ireland
Starting place to get published for many Irish poets
and artists
The Dolmen Press ended operation with the death
of Liam Miller in 1987
Acquired by ZSR Library and processed in 2004
The Cuala Press:
1906-1946 Precursor for the Dolmen Press

Founded by William Butler Yeats two sisters: Elizabeth

Corbett Yeats (1868-1940-known as Lollie) and Susan Mary
Yeats (1866-1949-known as Lily).
All the work was done by women
Grew out of the Arts and Crafts Movement in England and
influenced by its founder, William Morris.
A direct connection to the Dolmen Press came from the work of
Dolmen artist, Leslie MacWeeney to Anne Yeats, the daughter
of William Butler Yeats. MacWeeney assisted Anne Yeats in
archiving the work of her uncle, artist Jack Butler Yeats.
Dolmen Press Printing Blocks
The Printing plates (blocks) from the collection were processed along with the
Dolmen Collection
Digitized images of the plates were created as a digitization project, searchable
by subject, author or title called the Dolmen Press Printing Block Series (
https://wakespace.lib.wfu.edu/handle/10339/46/browse?type=author)
There is also a Finding Aid for The Dolmen Press Collection (https
://wakespace.lib.wfu.edu/handle/10339/28090)
Primary issues with the Dolmen printing plates: copyright and visibility
Enter the Mean Green Machine
The Dolmen Press meets a friend
The vast majority of the plates in the Dolmen Press Collection were designed
to be printed on a letterpress
So, we started printing the printing plates and visualizing these hidden
images in the Dolmen press collection!
 Tate Adams (b. 1922)

The print from Soul Cages,

by Tate Adams. 1958
The printing block
for the title page
 Elizabeth Rivers (1903-1964)

The print- from Out of Bedlam

by Christopher Smart, 1956
(Dolmen Press)
Wood engraving- printing block
 Michael Biggs (1928-1993)

The print, from The Midnight

Court by Brian Merryman, 1953
(Dolmen Press)

Wood printing block

 Leslie MacWeeney (b. 1922)

The Juggler, from The Twenty Two Keys

of the Tarot by Arland Ussher, 1957.

The Juggler,
Linoleum printing block
 Juanita Casey (1925-2012)
Documentation
A visual record of each printed plate is stored in folders, arranged by box
number, with the collection.
Each printing plate is numbered and tied to a specific Dolmen Press
publication in our database.
This visual record lives with the collection in our Archives.