Object ID
2008.37.47
Object Name
Block, Printing
Date Created
1954 – 1976
Material
Lead; Wood
Object Entities
Damianos, John (is related to)
Stevenson, Richard (is related to)
Sisler, George (is related to)
Abbott, Prof. (is related to)
Kohn, Alfred (is related to)
Dick, Edison (is related to)
George Rich, III (is related to)
Swift, T. (is related to)
DuVal, Ione (is related to)
Glyman, James (is related to)
Parry, D. (is related to)
Photos, . (is related to)
Manaves, Penelope (is related to)
Milonas, Electra (is related to)
Spartin, Peter (is related to)
Spirides, Bessie (is related to)
Zimdahl, Edna (is related to)
Object Description
Rectangular wood and cast lead printing block. The print image is of the Parthenon. A small area of ground surrounding the Parthenon is visible along the bottom. There are three clouds in the sky above the Parthenon.
Origin
Donated by John Damianos. The printing block was used in a linotype printing machine. Linotype presses allowed for the casting of entire lines to be printed at a time. Linotype printing was eventually succeeded by lithograph printing and computer typesetting during the 1960's and 1970's. The image was used on the cover of the programs for The Greek Committee To Aid The Immigrants' Protective League's Annual Benefits. The Greek Committee was formed in 1940 to assist the Immigrants' Protective League in interpreting its work in the community and to assist with the cost of helpling immigrants not just of Greek origin but of all nationalities. The Immigrants' Protective League was founded by a group of Hull House women in 1909. The purpose of the League was to assist newly arrived immigrants find family and friends and to adjust to living in the United States. The League established waiting rooms at train stations with multi-lingual League members who could assist immigrants with finding friends or family. The League also conducted investigations of employment and loan agencies that targeted immigrants, so as to ensure immigrants were not being taken advantage of. The image is also used in multiple sponsor advertisements in the programs for the 1967, 1969, and 1971 N.H.I.B.T. The image is also used on the cover of menus from 1976 for the Parthenon Restaurant of 314 South Halsted Street, Chicago. The restuarant was opened in 1958 and still operates as that same adress under the founders and owners, Chris and Bill Liakouras. The restuarant is known for being the birthplace of Flaming Saganaki (flaming cheese). The Parthenon is located on the Acropolis in Athens and is a temple dedicated to Athena, the patron goddess of Athens. In 1687 the Parthenon was severely damaged when it was used for a gunpowder magazine by the Turks during a Venetian siege. A stray cannon shot hit the Parthenon and set off a massive explosion from the gunpowder stored there.
Rights and Reproduction
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Citation
Block, Printing, 1954 – 1976, Greek Art Printing Company Artifact Collection, National Hellenic Museum, https://collections.nationalhellenicmuseum.org/Detail/objects/9889. Accessed 03/28/24.