Printing is so yesterday. Now it’s all about videos, DMs and deep fake photos, although the U.S. Supreme Court has installed a speed bump in the social media highway for about 170 million people.

Hickory Dickory Dock,
China is on the clock
The Court voted nine to none
That their U.S. time was done
For providing us their Tik and their Tok.

So let’s discuss printing. Chicago in the late 19th, early 20th century, produced newspapers for over 20 different foreign language communities.

The current Newberry exhibit made an impression on me, but not totally in a good way. I understand why documents are protectively placed behind glass, but could the library at least put them close enough to the viewer so that they can be read. That said, I press on.

The highlight, for me, was the section dealing with the company of Curt Teich, a- German immigrant who arrived here in 1895 at the age of 18. The company secretly printed 3 million maps for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in World War II that were used for invasions and as decoy maps. A couple were on display, but, again, were hard to view in person, so I went online afterward, but couldn’t find them. Apparently still a secret.

The company was also known for its postcards, printing up to 250 million a year depicting places around the country. Among those on display were a few featuring a Chicago Chinese restaurant, which left me wanting more.