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Christy, Constant & Co.
| Firmenname | Christy, Constant & Co. |
| Ortssitz | New York (N.Y.) |
| Straße | Twenty-third Street |
| Art des Unternehmens | Tapetenfabrik |
| Anmerkungen | Bezeichnet sich als Paper Hangings Manufactory |
| Quellenangaben | [Bishop: History of American manufacturers 3 (1868) 179] |
| Zeit |
Ereignis |
| 1836 |
Beginn der Tapetenherstellung durch Thomas Christie |
| 1842 |
Der Schwager von Thomas Christie, Samuel S. Constant, wird Teilhaber, verbunden mit der Umfirmierung in "Christy & Constant" |
| ZEIT | 1868 |
| THEMA | Firmenbeschreibung |
| TEXT | Is one of the most imposing, in external appearance, of the manufacturing establishments of New York, and one of the largest of its kind in the United States. The principal building has a front of pressed brick, extending, on Twenty-third street, three hundred and twenty-five feet, and is five stories in height, exclusive of the basement. The superficial area of the floors in this building is seventy-five thousand feet. Besides this, there is a storehouse, and a parallel row of buildings in the rear of the main structure, three hundred feet in length, in which are located the chemical works, the print cutting, the machine and carpenter shops, the engine and boiler rooms, and the stables. On entering this vast manufactory, and passing through its various departments, the visitor cannot fail but be impressed with the great revolution that has been effected in this manufacture within a few years. Here, Cylinder Printing may be seen on the grandest scale, and in its most perfect form. The facilities are such, that blank paper, as it comes from the mill, can be converted, in half an hour, into Printed Wall Paper, reeled and ready for market. Here, seventeen hundred tons of Paper were consumed, the last year; and now, seven hundred and fifty miles of Hanging Paper, as it is technically called, are converted into finished Paper Hangings, every week. The first operation in this, as in all other Machine Printing, is the preparation of the design. The principal designer of this firm resides in France, which, it must be conceded, is the world's centre, in all that relates to Ornamental Art. The patterns are then cut on blocks of maple, inlaid with brass and felting, so as to increase their durability, and the print blocks, prepared as they are in this establishment, will endure constant wear for six months. Entering the principal building devoted to manufacturing purposes, we find, on the first floor, four large cylinder machines, each of which will print twenty-four thousand yards of paper in a day. By arranging a separate roller for each color, twelve colors may be printed at one operation, and by this means one man and two boya can produce more finished Wall Paper in one day, than the same number of hands could have produced by the old process in six months. The paper, as it leaves the cylinder, is carried along India-rubber belts, in folds of eight yards each, over steam pipes, which dry it; and when it reaches the extreme end of the building, it is reeled into rolls, and is then ready to be transported to the warehouse. This facility of production enables us to understand why Wall Papers are now sold better in quality than those which twenty-five years ago could not have been produced for six times the present price. Ascending to the second story, we come to the apartments devoted to hand printing, in which are twenty-five to thirty hand-presses, and where all the higher grades of Paper Hangings, including Gold and Yelvet Papers, and Borders not made by machinery, are produced. For these Papers, the patterns are first printed with glue-size; and then with a preparation of varnish or gold-size, before receiving the flock or bronze. When this is partly dry, colored flock, or ground wool, is sifted over the varnish pattern, to which it adheres, giving an effect resembling velvet plush. The boys, who perform this service, seem to combine amusement with labor, in beating a reveille, in distributing the flock evenly over the surface. When gilding or bronzing is introduced, the paper, after the figures have been printed upon it with gold-size, is passed through a Bronzing Machine, which covers the paper with bronze, and, at the same time, by means of fur rollers and rubbers, removes the surplus bronze; and when dry, it is reeled into rolls ready for sale. On this floor is also the Satin Polishing Room, in which are ten polishing machines of an entirely new construction, which were invented and patented by Mr. Christy. These machines are used for imparting a satin or glazed surface to the grounded papers before the figures are printed upon them. The third floor is devoted to Cylinder Machine Printing, similar to the first floor. Here are six machines, capable of producing eighteen thousand rolls, or fifty-four thousand yards of Wall Paper per day. The fourth and fifth floors are Grounding Rooms. In these rooms are ten grounding machines, used for covering the surface of the paper with a ground color preparatory to the process of printing. The color-mixing departments are in the basement of the main building; and, as the amount of colors or paints consumed is very large, being often as much as fifteen hundred gallons per day, the mixing is conducted on an extensive scale, in large tubs or vats, in which the mixers are driven by machinery. The more expensive tints are prepared by hand-labor entirely, and in this some fifteen hands find constant employment. The colors, and also the raw paper, are hoisted to the different rooms by steam elevators at each end of the building. For the Drying, some forty thousand feet of steam pipe are required. The machinery is propelled by a Corliss engine of sixty horse power, and three large boilers are required to supply steam sufficient for heating and drying. The engine room is remarkable for the neatness, and even elegance, of its furniture and appointments. The firm of Christy, Constant & Co. was established by Thomas Christy, who came from Boston and commenced the manufacture of Paper Hangings in New York, in 1836. His .sales, the first year, were thirteen thousand dollars; now they exceed a million. About 1842, his brother-in-law, Samuel S. Constant, became associated with him, under the firm name of Christy & Constant - which, on the admission of other partners, was changed to its present style. The Warehouse and Salesrooms are at 25 Murray street, extending through the block to 29 Warren street. This part of the business is under the immediate supervision of the junior partner, T. C. Shepherd, a nephew of Mr. Christy. Mr. Christy is an inventor, as well as a representative manufacturer. Among the inventions designed and patented by, him, are the new polishing machines mentioned above, which can be operated with one fifth the power required for those in ordinary use, the work at the same time being done with greater facility and perfection. The firm have in their employ some two hundred operatives. |
| QUELLE | [Bishop: History of American manufacturers 3 (1868) 179] |
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