A Study of the Negro Print Shops in Houston, Texas

Author

Thomas Benjamin Bynum Jr., Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College

Date of Award

5-1939

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Degree Discipline

Mechanic Arts

Abstract

"The art of printing is the most important invention that was ever introduced to the world in its effects on the human mind, and of consequence on all civilized society; it preserves and dissiminates all discoveries and improvements in the arts and sciences; it commemorates all other inventions; it hands down to posterity every important event; it immortalizes the actions of the great and good and above all, it extends and diffuses the word of God to all mankind."*

The foregoing statement, written in 1841, emphasizes the importance of the printing industry to human welfare. This art, which has been designated "the art preservative," has enabled man to keep a graphic record of his achievements, to preserve and perpetuate the knowledge he has acquired, to dispense this knowledge to rich and poor alike, and in this dynamic age in which we are living, to keep abreast of fast changing ideas and events.

Thus we see the importance of this study—a study of the Negro print shops which serve the Negro populace of one of the largest cities in the great Southwest. It is the intention of the author to analyze the Negro shops of Houston to determine just how well they are playing their part in the progress of the Negroes of that city.

The eleven shops represented in this survey are typical Negro businesses. They are scattered over the city of Houston and serve approximately 90,000 Negroes. They are divided into three groups—job shops, job and newspaper shops. They range from "holes in the wall" to modern up-to-date shops and newspaper shops. For the purpose of this study and in fairness to the proprietors, whose gracious cooperation made possible the authenticity of the data to be analyzed the eleven shops will be referred to as Shop A, Shop B, Shop C, etc.

Each shop will be analyzed as to location, size, equipment, income, number of employees and types of work handled. The author's impression of each shop will follow this analysis. In the conclusion a criticism of the shops as a whole will be attempted and suggestions for improvement offered.

*Savage—Dict. of Printing, 1841.

Committee Chair/Advisor

J. J. Abernethy

Publisher

Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College

Rights

Date of Digitization

8-27-2021

Contributing Institution

John B Coleman Library

City of Publication

Prairie View

MIME Type

Application/PDF

Recommended Citation

Bynum, T. B. (1939). A Study of the Negro Print Shops in Houston, Texas. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/pvamu-theses/309