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One of Our Own Kind (1969): The English printing revolution on film – bridgeman blog

Written by Bridgeman Team | Aug 26, 2014 11:00:00 PM

Hot off the press and exclusive to Bridgeman Footage is an award-winning film celebrating the special relationship between man and machine.

Ever wondered about the origins of your everyday newspapers, banknotes and baked bean adverts? One of Our Own Kind (1969), the newest addition to the Buff Films collection, explores the pioneering history of England’s industrial printing and the people behind it.

Get up close and personal with one of the world’s first printing machines in motion: the Wharfedale from Otley, Yorkshire. Originally called ‘Our Own Kind’ by its makers in the 1850s, for half a century it dominated the world’s printing markets with its revolutionary design.

 

One of Our Own Kind part four – rural scenes and landmarks in Yorkshire, iron foundry, printing press. 1970 / Buff Film & Video Library
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But there is more to printing than just its nuts, bolts and ink. Meet Joe, who works in a printing shop in Yorkshire. He may not be the fastest at wrapping newspaper, but he never forgets that extra copy for Mrs. Jones. Alongside Joe are all the engineering specialists, modern-day craftsmen who keep the machines ticking along with the precision of a watch.

 

Left: One of Our Own Kind part three – shots inside printing shop, printing press, street scenes in Yorkshire, 1970 / Buff Film & Video Library
Right: One of Our Own Kind part five – printing press operators, close up shots of colour printing of postcards / Buff Film & Video Library

 

Finally, we’re treated to all the endless possibilities that industrial printing has offered: art books, seaside postcards, stamps and, most essentially, billboards about baked beans. How did we ever go without?

 

Left: One of Our Own Kind part nine – print media in 1970: ads, billboards, banknotes, stamps, maps, etc. / Buff Film & Video Library
Right: One of Our Own Kind part five – printing press operators, close up shots of colour printing of postcards / Buff Film & Video Library

 


Watch ‘One of Our Own Kind’
 

 

Find out more

Discover more about Buff Films, the fascinating private collection from renowned filmmaker John Edwards, exclusively represented and licensed by Bridgeman Footage.

Contact the Bridgeman Sales Team at uksales@bridgemanimages.com for more information on licensing these clips.