114 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1907. 
in 1844 exhibited a machine which, though immediately adopted in 
the Parisian workshops, was discarded as soon as its disadvantages 
became apparent. 
Since then many composing machines have been invented. Each 
of these showed some improvement over its predecessor. In this way, 
by successive improvement, the composing machine has become almost 
perfect, so that hardly any criticism can be made of the latest model 
presented, the electrotypograph, which was introduced in 1902, and 
which was still further improved in 1907 and combined with the tele- 
typograph. Its introduction once more greatly advances economy in 
typography, and it is likely to increase typographical efficiency almost 
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Fic. 1.—Lagerman composing and distributing machine. 
infinitely. With its aid the printer need not fear to undertake orders 
requiring unheard-of speed and numbers of impressions. 
Before describing the electrotypograph, we will review the earlier 
forms of composing machines in order to understand it more clearly. 
Only the most characteristic of these will be described. 
MACHINES WITH MOVABLE CHARACTERS. 
The composing machines first to be considered, the Kastenbeim, 
Thorne, Simplex, Lagerman (1885), Paige, Desjardins (1898), Cal- 
endoli (1900), ete., form a class accomplishing composition by moy- 
