South Street Seaport Museum Bowne & Co. Announces Wayzgoose Holiday Kick Off

Step into the South Street Seaport Museum's 19th century-style letterpress printing shop Bowne & Co. to kick off the holiday season at our annual Wayzgoose-a 500-year-old printers' tradition celebrating the changing of the seasons.

Legend has it that when Johannes Gutenberg and his team completed the first edition of the Bible, he invited them to his countryside residence for a celebratory dinner where he served a roast goose-they went away to eat a goose, giving rise to the term Wayzgoose. Traditionally a "wayzgoose" was a dinner or celebration hosted by a master printer for his staff to mark the beginning of the season of working by candlelight. The term has since evolved to represent yearly celebrations hosted by those working in printing, publication, or adjacent industries, typically held in late Summer or Fall.

Join the Museum community for light refreshments as the printers of Bowne & Co. give you the opportunity to get hands-on with printing equipment from the Seaport Museum's working collection and print your own holiday-themed works. For those looking to get a head start on holiday shopping, be the first to check out this season's delightful selection of holiday gifts, cards, and other seasonal paper goods at the Bowne & Co. gift emporium at 211 Water Street.

The charming 19th-century-style letterpress printing shop offers the perfect setting to continue the Wayzgoose tradition. This event provides a special opportunity for printers to share the fruits of their labor with colleagues and friends, to raise a glass in celebration, and to reflect on the year and the joys of the upcoming holiday season.

Registration is encouraged for this free event but walkups will be accommodated as possible. seaportmuseum.org/wayzgoose

About Bowne & Co.

Established by Robert Bowne in 1775, Bowne & Co. holds the distinction of being New York's oldest operating business under the same name. After growing as a financial printer throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Bowne & Co. Inc. partnered with the Seaport Museum in 1975 to open a 19th century-style print shop at 211 Water Street in the South Street Seaport Historic District. Today, it is comprised of the Bowne & Co. Printing Office--a workspace that continues the age-old tradition of job (or small batch) printing using historic presses from South Street Seaport Museum's working collection--and Bowne & Co. Stationers, a19th century-style emporium selling gifts and fine goods. seaportmuseum.org/bowne-co-stationers

About the South Street Seaport Museum

The South Street Seaport Museum, located in the heart of the historic seaport district in New York City, preserves and interprets the history of New York as a great port city. Founded in 1967, the Museum houses an extensive collection of works of art and artifacts, a maritime reference library, exhibition galleries and education spaces, working 19th century print shops, and an active fleet of historic vessels that all work to tell the story of "Where New York Begins." seaportmuseum.org