2024 A Free Press: 200 Years Stamp MUH

The stamp depicts a silhouette of a press against a background of the two newspapers printed in 1824: the Hobart Town Gazette and Van Diemen’s Land Advertiser and The Australian (note that this has no relation to the current publication of the same name). The actual presses used for printing these first two papers are still unknown, however it is likely that they were wooden presses, as these were much lighter than all-iron presses so easier to transport to the colonies. The press shown in the stamp is therefore representative of the type of press first used. It is an English common wooden hand press, made in the early 18th century.