Baltimore Sun 1837, First Printing: Sept.
13, 1851
Co-Founder:
William Moseley Swain, Arunah Stepherdson Abell, Azariah H. Simmons
The Baltimore Sun was founded in 1837 by Arunah S. Abell made his
creation Maryland's most popular newspaper, as proven by the number of
subscribers the paper boasted after only one year in the business: 12 000.
Abell's rigor and ingenuity (he was the first in the U.S. to make use of rotary
impression) as well as The Sun's political independence contributed to
its success. The paper grew rapidly from a four-paged tabloid into a serious
and reputable source, favoring national and international news over local
stories. In 1986, it was bought, together with the A.S. Abell Company, by the
Times Mirror Company, owner of the Los Angeles Times. Today it enjoys a
circulation of 240 000 copies daily.
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THE SUN IRON BUILDING, BALTIMORE
Designed by James Bogardus
(from G.W. Howard, The
Momumental City, Its Past History and Present Resources, Baltimore, 1873)
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Abell Building
Architect:
George A. Frederick
1879
329-335 West Baltimore Street
Baltimore, MD
The
building is named for its original owner, Arunah Abell, who founded the Baltimore Sun newspaper.
M.E
Hayward and F.R. Shivers, Jr., the Architecture of Baltimore: An Illustrated History, The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore (2004), p. 202.
J. Dorsey and J.D.
Dilts, A Guide to Baltimore Architecture (Third Edition), Tidewater Publishers, Centreville, MD (1997), p. 171.
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Charles Gebhard
Three Founders: Azariah H. Simmons (d.
1956); Arunah S. Abell
(1806-88); William Swain (c. 1808-68) 1856
Oil on paper mounted to linen affixed to matboard
18 63/64 x 17 23/32 in. (48.2 x 45.0 cm.)
Gift of Mr. Frank L. Fenwick
Holding Institution: Maryland Historical Society
Accession: 1971-2-1
Full-length portrait
shows Azariah H.
Simmons, Arunah S. Abell, and William Swain, the three founders of the Public Ledger
(Philadelphia, Pa.) and the Sun (Baltimore, Md.). Simmons, Abell,
Swain lean against one another. A red-upholstered mid -19th century side
chair is seen at left, and the image has green-brown background.
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Arunah Stephardson
Abell and William Moseley Swain
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