The Dickinson Type Foundry also did work of a very high grade. Perhaps the most fortunate thing that ever happened to it was the entrance into its service in 1868 of Mr. Joseph W. Phinney. Mr. Phinney was born in 1848, and after a varied experience as a printer in several places, went to Boston in 1868, later entering the employ of the old Dickinson Type Foundry, in the selling department. He soon distinguished himself in the service of the Dickinson Company and after a time became one of its partners. His skill, artistic taste, and ability soon made him one of the leaders in type design as well as one of the great figures in the type founding business. For many years Mr. Phinney has exercised an influence for good in type founding which it would be difficult to overestimate. On the establishment of the American Type Founders Company in 1892 the Dickinson concern became one of the constituent firms and Mr. Phinney’s leadership was recognized by his election to the position of Vice-President of the new concern. Mr. Phinney has remained in Boston as the head of the New England branch of the business and is one of the active and leading officers of the great type founding company. Certain improvements in the manufacture of type which have brought it to its present perfection remain to be recorded. The most important of these were made by Barth, Marder, Benton, and Nicholas J. Werner. Henry Barth was born in Leipsic, Germany, in 1823, and learned the trade of mathematical instrument maker. Before 1840 the Bruce type caster was seen in Germany and (not being protected by German patents) was imitated by German type founders. Barth was engaged by Brockhaus, one of the more important German printers, who maintained his own bindery and type foundry and now added a machine shop primarily for the purpose of building Bruce machines. Barth spent several years in the employ of Brockhaus making type foundry tools and had two years’ service in the German navy. He came to America in 1849 and at first practiced his trade as a maker of mathematical instruments, but before long connected himself with the Cincinnati Type Foundry. Here he invented a machine to cast type by direct steam pressure without the pump. The machine was successful, but for various reasons did not come into general use. He then built a 14 × 18 job press, long well known as the Wells jobber. During his service with the Cincinnati Type Foundry the hand-casting machines were entirely replaced by steam machines, and in 1853 he invented the kerning machine. About the same time the first shaved leads were made under Barth’s direction. At first the shaving was done on a hand machine, but later he devised a steam shaving machine. During the course of a long service to the industry Barth was the author of many important inventions and improvements in the details of type founding. He died in 1907.