Lydia Bailey—A Checklist of Her Imprints

Little known today, Lydia Bailey was a leading printer in Philadelphia for decades. Her career began in 1808, when her husband Robert died, leaving her with the family business to manage, and ended in 1861, when she retired at the age of 82. During her career, she operated a shop that at its height had more than forty employees, acted as city printer for over thirty years, and produced almost a thousand imprints bearing her name. Not surprisingly, sources reveal that she was closely associated with many of her now better-known contemporaries both in the book trade and beyond, people like her father-in-law, Francis Bailey, Mathew Carey, Philip Freneau, and Harriet Livermore. Through a detailed examination and analysis of various sources, Karen Nipps portrays Baileys experience within the context of her social, political, religious, and book environments.

Karen Nipps is Head of the Rare Book Team at Harvard University’s Houghton Library.