The Museum of Printing History was founded in 1979 by Raoul Beasley, Vernon P. Hearn, Don Piercy, and J. V. Burnham, four printers with passions for preserving their vast collections and sharing them with the community.  It was chartered in 1981 and had its official opening in 1982 with Dr. Hans Halaby, Director of the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz, Germany, cutting the ribbon.

The mission of the Museum is to promote, preserve, and share the knowledge of printed communication and art as the greatest contributors to the development of the civilized world and the continuing advancement of freedom and literacy.

Featured in the July 2006 issue of Texas Highways, the Museum is described as “a honeycomb of intimate gallery spaces . . . with a stunning collection of objects and artifacts devoted to the history, science, and art of printing."  The portrait of the Museum concludes with the observation that "printed text may be taken for granted these days, but a visit to the Museum of Printing History somehow makes it seem magical once again.”

The Museum of Printing History wishes to thank the following foundations and corporations for their generous support:

Houston Endowment
Houston Arts Alliance
Brown Foundation
Wortham Foundation
Bauer Foundation
Simmons Foundation
Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation
National Endowment of the Humanities
Bank of America Charitable Foundation
Hamman Foundation
Cameron Foundation
Knox Foundation
Humanities Texas
Exxonmobil Foundation
Heidelberg USA
The Houston Chronicle and Hearst Direct
Que Imaging
Graphic Chemical
Copy.Com
InfoVine

QWERTY: A Typewriter Retrospective
Engines of our Ingenuity, No. 1848
Engines of our Ingenuity, No. 2106
Engines of our Ingenuity, No. 2259
Houston Arts View
Houston Business Journal
Texas Highways

Press Releases
High resolution images available upon request. Please contact Amanda Stevenson, Curator at 713-522-4652, ext. 207.

Change, a limited edition print by Charles Criner
press release

Printing With Light: A Modern Exhibition of Historical Photographic Processes
on view March 25, 2010 to August 14, 2010
press release

Bhutan: A Visual Odyssey Across the Last Himalayan Kingdom
on view March 12, 2010 to April 24, 2010
press release

Underground in H-Town
on view April 8, 2010 to July 24, 2010
press release

Craig W. Jensen: Master of Fine Edition Binding
on view June 24, 2010 to September 18, 2010
press release

Seventh Annual Houston Book Fair
Saturday, November 7, 2009 from 10am-5pm
general press release
guest speakers press release

MPH Staff

Ann Stool Kasman, Executive Director, 713-522-4652, ext. 202
Amanda Stevenson, Curator, 713-522-4652, ext. 207
Charles Criner, Artist-in-Residence, 713-522-4652, ext. 206
Rose Watts, Office Manager, 713-522-4652, ext. 203
Trina McIsaac, Gift Shop Attendant
Myssie Light, Volunteer Bookbinder
Lena Villavicencio, Volunteer Bookbinder
Edward Kopinitz, Volunteer Bookbinder
Kathy Gurwell, Volunteer Papermaker

Board of Directors:

Chair: Ruth Brett Downes, Attorney
Chair Emeritus: Tom B. Eaton, Jr., Eaton Manufacturing Co.
Immediate Past Chair: George Kronman, Hess Corporation
Vice-Chairman: Jerry Waite, University of Houston
Secretary: Kenneth Starr, Centerpoint Energy
Treasurer Emeritus: J.V. Burnham, Community Volunteer
Treasurer: Jeff Smith, Houston Community Bank
Margaret Davis, Mayer Brown LLP
Charles Eskridge, Attorney
A. John Harper III, Attorney
Angel Jimenez, Community Volunteer
Sandra H. Johnson, Computer Consultant
Martha Justice, Premier IMS
Wea Lee, Southern Newspaper Group

Advisory Directors:

Marilyn Bautista, Community Volunteer
Bill Blackwood, Community Volunteer
Karen Burke, Texas Monthly
Shannon Chapin, The Houston Chronicle
Anita Kiperman, Lecturer Emeritus, Rice University
Gene McDavid, The Houston Chronicle
Richard O. Wilson, Engineer