Description
“At the time I believe I had very little thought of anything but to exert myself to the fullest.”
— Grace Darling
This hand-pulled letterpress print is printed from hand-lettered original typography and hand-drawn illustrations and patterns (in fact, everything was done by hand, the hard way!). This piece was created as a reminder that we must weather the storm ahead.
Please note that our remaining inventory of this print consists entirely of APs or “Artist Proofs.” We determine our edition number before printing, but we always print a few more broadsides than we think we’ll need for the edition, in case of mishaps during the process. When the edition is finished, any extra prints that survive outside of the edition are signed and labeled with “AP” in place of a number. Because we wait to sell the APs until the rest of the edition is sold out, and because APs are otherwise identical in quality to the numbered prints, they are priced the same as our numbered prints.
For millions of people around the U.S., particularly women, minorities and members of marginalized populations, the last few months have felt like a descent into darkness. Every day we learn of fresh horrors in the news, from a rise in hate crimes, to an ever-growing list of punishing legislation, to the latest presidential tweet. Yet it is darkness that lets light shine the brightest, so we are adding our candle to the glow.
Our 25th broadside, Save Our Ship, is once again printed on midnight-black paper, using seafoamy-silver metallic ink. The design has an extra surprise in store (and on shore): what appears at first glance to be a black-on-black varnish turns out to be glow-in-the-dark ink. Charge up the ink with a bright light first, and you’ll see the design burn with a subtle glow like a green flash in darkness. The design features Grace Darling’s quote, along with the names and lighthouses of nineteen other women who kept the beacons lit.
To help the next generation of courageous girls become seafarers and mariners, we are donating a portion of our proceeds to the Girls Boat Project. A joint program of the Northwest Maritime Center and the Port Townsend (Washington) Public School District, the Girls Boat Project teaches the maritime trades to girls aged 12-18.
This poster was printed on an antique Vandercook Universal One press. Each piece is printed on archival, 100% rag (cotton) paper, and individually signed and numbered by both artists. This piece was printed in a limited edition, so once the edition sells out, it will not be reprinted. So snag your copy while you can!
Edition size: 138
Paper size: 10 x 18 inches
Colophon reads:
Grace Horsley Darling (1815 – 1842) was one of many women around the English-speaking world who have held the lonely and dangerous job of lighthouse keeper. Tending the lights was often a family business, and if a male keeper died, his female relatives were expected to keep the beacons lit — often without pay, benefits or even official sanction. Many of these women tended the lights for decades, guiding countless ships and sailors to safety.
While Grace never held the official title of keeper, she frequently assisted her father in maintaining Longstone Lighthouse, located in the remote Farne Islands, Northumberland, England. On September 5, 1838, the 450-ton steamer ship _Forfarshire_ ran aground near the lighthouse, killing 35 people. Braving rough seas and strong winds, Grace and her father rowed nearly a mile to rescue five shipwreck survivors clinging to the rocks. Her heroism earned her international fame, aristocratic patrons, a medal for bravery from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and a monetary reward from Queen Victoria. Her story inspired poems, plays and paintings — and her likeness even graced the packaging of Lifebuoy Soap. She died of tuberculosis at 26, exhausted by her uneasy role as heroine and celebrity.
Illustrated by Chandler O’Leary and printed by Jessica Spring, in solidarity with women who keep the lights burning in the darkest times. 138 copies were printed by hand at Springtide Press in Tacoma. March 2017
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This original artwork is copyright Chandler O’Leary and Jessica Spring 2017. Copyright is not transferable with the sale of this print. The buyer is not entitled to reproduction rights.
WA state residents are subject to sales tax.
The print is packaged in a clear poly sleeve and will ship flat in a protective mailer, via USPS Priority Mail.
