Biography:

Founded in 1838 at 607 Sansom Street in Philadelphia, King and Baird Printers were among the largest print shops in the city. In its early years, Robert P. King and Alexander Baird were the only two employees of the firm, King working as compositor, solicitor, bookkeeper, foreman, proofreader, and purchaser, while Baird operated a single hand press. By the time of Baird’s death in 1868, the business had grown to include over 120 employees and 20 presses, some powered by steam. The firm was well known for publishing in German and other foreign languages including Swedish and Norwegian, as well as printing in the Cherokee syllabary, and in Grebo, a West African language.