Dr. Matteo Pangallo, a Junior Fellow of Harvard University and guest curator of the Athenaeum’s new Fall/Winter Exhibition will present a talk on “Samuel Hall: Printer-Patriot of the Revolution.”   The exhibition provides an in-depth exploration of the life and work of Salem’s first printer. Included are many of Hall’s publications, such as books, pamphlets, almanacs, newspapers, and more, from a private collection and the Salem Athenaeum.

Samuel Hall was a leading member of America’s printing and publishing industry in the colonial and early republic era. After apprenticing with his uncle, the first printer in New Hampshire, he married into the family of Benjamin Franklin. In 1768, Hall set up the first printing shop in Salem, Massachusetts and remained in Salem until 1775, when the Provincial Congress asked him to move to Cambridge to aid the patriot cause.

In later years, Hall printed in both Salem and Boston, became a respected community leader, and was one of the nation’s leading publishers of sermons, children’s books, science, and literature. An outspoken advocate of independence and a dedicated Federalist, abolitionist, and promoter of the art of printing, Hall is one of the many individuals who can rightly be counted among the founders of the nation.

Dr. Pangallo’s lecture will highlight his research and offer an opportunity for questions. Please join us on Friday, February 12 at 7 pm.