The Oriole Press

The Oriole Press was established by Joseph Ishill. He was a friend of Victorian author Spencer Brodney - a neighbor of mine in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey who wrote me a “letter of introduction” to Mr. Ishill, who would grudgingly allow me - as a 13-year-old novice in 1963 - to “stand still” and look around his shop.

His shop was in the ground-level basement of a small house surrounded by gardens. He stored engravings on shelves among the beams of his basement shop.

Mr. Ishill specialized in printing first radical literature in the twenties, then settled down to focus mainly on the poetry of his wife - Rose Freeman Ishill.

He printed many short runs of small, odd-sized books and hand-sewn pamphlets.

Mr. & Mrs. Ishill were personal friends of Fredrick W. Goudy.

His typography was avant-garde classic, with a tendency to incorporate large initials - sometimes simply a 48-point lowercase letter - and subtle ornaments. He used color well - mostly earth tones, and most of his work was done in at least two complimentary colors. He printed mainly on soft text stock, but would experiment with other papers as opportunity arose.

His two presses were a “Favorite” and a 5x7 Golding Pearl, circa 1927, which is currently among the collection of the Excelsior Press, along with two of Mr. Ishill’s type cabinets and some forms he had set in the early 60’s and given to the local library, which passed them on to me.

Mr. Ishill was a major influence on me and my work and on my view of typography. He set a good example for me and was a major inspiration for the private work of The Excelsior Press.

Alan Runfeldt, 2009
The Excelsior Press
Frenchtown, NJ