I ran into an old jeweler friend the other day whose father and grandfather had been hand engravers in New Orleans. He told me that the engraving block had been invented in New Orleans which prompted me to do some searching and led me to this old book on Google Books. It shows the Muehlmatt engraving blocks being manufactured, and says it was designed by L.W. Gery, an engraver in New Orleans.
I found it interesting and HERE IS THE LINK if you'd like to check it out.
I found it interesting and HERE IS THE LINK if you'd like to check it out.