Nolan Preece Introduction to Antique Prints

Nolan Preece Antique Prints

An Introduction To Antique Prints

By Nolan Preece

Antique prints involve a variety of techniques often difficult to differentiate, however, the craftsmanship and skill which created them go unmatched in the twentieth century. The printing plates, wood blocks and stones which were rendered and carved by hand were works of art in themselves and make up the three main categories of graphic art technique - Intaglio, Relief and Planographic (Lithography). Illustrations for books were expected to have fine detail in the decades shortly before photomechanical reproduction was perfected. These three techniques were used extensively in the Nineteenth century. For collectors, antique prints offer a superb investment in quality and rarity.

Intaglio

Intaglio techniques include, in order of discovery, engraving (c. 1430); dry point (c. 1480); etching (c. 1500); hand-colored etching; mezzotint (c. 1642); aquatint (c. 1768); photogravure (c. 1870); and combinations of some of these techniques.

Etching - Prints were pulled from plates made of copper or steel and were chemically etched to create the ink reservoir from which the print was printed with a press. The surface of the plate was wiped clean after inking and the print was created from the ink trapped in the lines below the surface. Characteristics can include raised ink lines on the surface of the print and plate marks impressed into the paper by the press (these were often trimmed off to avoid unevenness when inserted into a book). Oxen Ploughing c. 1870, is a good example of a pure etching. The lines identify it by their random structure, unlike engraving. Oxen Ploughing is a reproduction of the painting by Rosa Bonheur ( note: Pinx after the name at the left hand corner). The etcher was P. Moran (note: Sculpt after the name at the right hand corner). The plate marks fell outside the trimmed page. The image is 9"x 4" and is in excellent condition.
(Click on images for high res version)

Metal Engraving - Amsterdam - Schreyers Hoek Toren c. 1760 is an excellent example of a pure engraving. The print was pulled from a hand engraved plate, unlike etching, hand tools were used to create the ink reservoir. The characteristics of an engraving are: a systematic laying of lines, cross-hatching to produce value, and pointed ends on many of the lines. Plate marks and raised ink lines are also found (the trademark of an intaglio print). Compare to a bank note which is engraved.

Engraving is a very old print medium. It is thought that the craftsman who engraved suits of armor first used it around 1400 by rubbing in lampblack and then pressing a piece of paper into it to make an image. Later, the German goldsmiths further developed the technique to print playing cards. The demand for playing cards had thus provided the need for mass production. Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) is considered the greatest line engraver of all time.

Engraving with Etching - A mixture of engraving and etching was used extensively in the late Eighteenth century and the Nineteenth century. Foliage and the surrounding environment in the print was etched while the main subject was usually engraved. This technique is still considered an engraving. Fountain near Lake Como c.1840 is an example of this dual technique. The image size is 10"x 7". The painter was W. Muller (Pinx) and the engraver was C. Cousen (Sculpt), the publisher was Gebbie & Barrie. The plate marks were trimmed but the print is in excellent condition.

Hand-Colored Etching - To achieve color, early reproductions were often hand-colored. Botanicals such as this Plate 394 published in 1819 by T. Ridgway, 170 Piccadilly, London, is a fine example of scientific illustration of the time. The artist was Hart (del.) and the etcher was T. Watts (Sc.). The image size is 5"x 8", the plate marks are visible and the print is in excellent condition.

Relief

Relief techniques include, in the order of discovery, woodcut (c. 1327); maniere criblee (c. 1450); white-line woodcut (c.1502); chiaroscuro woodcut (c.1506); wood engraving (c.1709).

Relief prints are printed from the surface of the plate or wood block. Areas carved out, unlike intaglio, print white. The block or plate is first inked then paper is floated on the surface and is either run through a press or rubbed with a smooth object such as a spoon to record the image. Woodcuts and wood engravings do not produce plate marks. Relief printing is the oldest printing technique. China is said to have produced the earliest known relief prints in about c. 800.

Wood Engraving - Ein Weihnachtsgruss aus der Heimath (trans. AA Christmas greeting from Home@) c. 1890 by Willy Stower is a good example of color wood engraving. Wood engravings were the universal, standard technique of book and magazine illustration and remained as such until being replaced by photomechanical processes in the late Nineteenth century. Wood engravings were produced using metal burins and engraving tools on the end grain of very hard wood such as box or pear wood. The word "engraving" refers more to the use of metal engravers tools which were used to produce the wood blocks than the printing process itself. The print is printed from the surface of the wood block. Up to 5 blocks were uniquely carved and inked with a different color and brought into register to achieve the color in this print. A letter press was used to print the blocks Atype high.@ The image size is 9"x 12 1/2", the print is in excellent condition.

Lithography

Lithography is a planographic (surface printing) technique. It was invented by Aloys Senefelder in 1798. Bavarian limestone was planed smooth on both sides. Stones were 4 - 6 inches thick and several inches larger than the image that was to be printed. The artist drew with a greasy crayon or ink on the stone and the stone was then sensitized in such a way to print the image. Lithography works on the principal that grease and water do not mix. After the stone was sensitized, the drawing could be rolled up in ink, the ink would only adhere to the greasy areas and as the stone was kept damp a piece of paper was placed on the surface of the stone and run through a special press to print the image. There are two methods of early lithography: the Chalk Manner and the Pen & Ink Style. With the Chalk Manner, the lines in the print appear to have been drawn with a black crayon on rough paper. The Pen & Ink Style appears to have been drawn with pen and black ink on a smooth paper. The early lithography using stones was replaced by photolithography in the late Nineteenth century and offset lithography in the 1960's. Aluminum plates are now used in place of stones. There are no plate marks with lithography since it is printed from a completely flat surface.

Chalk Manner Lithograph - Sperm Whale- Plate XXIX Cetacea c. 1880 is a fine example of chromolithography of it's day. The registration marks in the lower left corner were used to print several stones of different colors. The Chalk Manner can be seen as a crayon drawing on paper.

Copyright 1880 by Henry J. Johnson is noted at the bottom of the print. The image size is 5 1/2"x 8", the print is in excellent condition.

Photogravure
Photogravure is a complex yet richly beautiful intaglio technique. Aquatint photogravure is by far the most common type. In the 1890's it replaced sand-grain photogravure and the earlier - line photogravure, c.1870. Finely ground rosin or asphaltum was stirred up in a mixing box and the fine dust was allowed to settle on the copper plate. When the dust was melted it created what would become the dot pattern. A sheet of gelatin called carbon tissue was then sensitized to light by soaking it in a solution of potassium dichromate and adhering it to the plate over the rosin or asphaltum aquatint. The plate was then exposed to light through a positive transparency. It was etched in three solutions of ferric chloride producing many different depths of ink reservoir which in turn would print a wide range of gray values. It was estimated up to thirty-two different tones could be reproduced. Early plates needed additional handwork to strengthen the dark areas. Roulettes were used by hand to retouch the dot pattern and can be found with a magnifying glass. After 1900 the process became so perfected that no retouching was necessary. Photogravures were used in books up to the 1930's.

	An Introduction To Antique Prints By Nolan Preece
	Antique prints involve a variety of techniques often difficult to differentiate, however, the craftsmanship and skill which created them go unmatched in the twentieth century. The printing plates, wood blocks and stones which were rendered and carved by hand were works of art in themselves and make up the three main categories of graphic art technique - Intaglio, Relief and Planographic (Lithography). Illustrations for books were expected to have fine detail in the decades shortly before photomechanical reproduction was perfected. These three techniques were used extensively in the Nineteenth century. For collectors, antique prints offer a superb investment in quality and rarity.
	Intaglio Intaglio techniques include, in order of discovery, engraving (c. 1430); dry point (c. 1480); etching (c. 1500); hand-colored etching; mezzotint (c. 1642); aquatint (c. 1768); photogravure (c. 1870); and combinations of some of these techniques.
	Etching - Prints were pulled from plates made of copper or steel and were chemically etched to create the ink reservoir from which the print was printed with a press. The surface of the plate was wiped clean after inking and the print was created from the ink trapped in the lines below the surface. Characteristics can include raised ink lines on the surface of the print and plate marks impressed into the paper by the press (these were often trimmed off to avoid unevenness when inserted into a book). Oxen Ploughing c. 1870, is a good example of a pure etching. The lines identify it by their random structure, unlike engraving. Oxen Ploughing is a reproduction of the painting by Rosa Bonheur ( note: Pinx after the name at the left hand corner). The etcher was P. Moran (note: Sculpt after the name at the right hand corner). The plate marks fell outside the trimmed page. The image is 9"x 4" and is in excellent condition.	(Click on images for high res version)
	Metal Engraving - Amsterdam - Schreyers Hoek Toren c. 1760 is an excellent example of a pure engraving. The print was pulled from a hand engraved plate, unlike etching, hand tools were used to create the ink reservoir. The characteristics of an engraving are: a systematic laying of lines, cross-hatching to produce value, and pointed ends on many of the lines. Plate marks and raised ink lines are also found (the trademark of an intaglio print). Compare to a bank note which is engraved.
	Engraving is a very old print medium. It is thought that the craftsman who engraved suits of armor first used it around 1400 by rubbing in lampblack and then pressing a piece of paper into it to make an image. Later, the German goldsmiths further developed the technique to print playing cards. The demand for playing cards had thus provided the need for mass production. Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) is considered the greatest line engraver of all time.
	Engraving with Etching - A mixture of engraving and etching was used extensively in the late Eighteenth century and the Nineteenth century. Foliage and the surrounding environment in the print was etched while the main subject was usually engraved. This technique is still considered an engraving. Fountain near Lake Como c.1840 is an example of this dual technique. The image size is 10"x 7". The painter was W. Muller (Pinx) and the engraver was C. Cousen (Sculpt), the publisher was Gebbie & Barrie. The plate marks were trimmed but the print is in excellent condition.
	Hand-Colored Etching - To achieve color, early reproductions were often hand-colored. Botanicals such as this Plate 394 published in 1819 by T. Ridgway, 170 Piccadilly, London, is a fine example of scientific illustration of the time. The artist was Hart (del.) and the etcher was T. Watts (Sc.). The image size is 5"x 8", the plate marks are visible and the print is in excellent condition.
	Relief Relief techniques include, in the order of discovery, woodcut (c. 1327); maniere criblee (c. 1450); white-line woodcut (c.1502); chiaroscuro woodcut (c.1506); wood engraving (c.1709).
	Relief prints are printed from the surface of the plate or wood block. Areas carved out, unlike intaglio, print white. The block or plate is first inked then paper is floated on the surface and is either run through a press or rubbed with a smooth object such as a spoon to record the image. Woodcuts and wood engravings do not produce plate marks. Relief printing is the oldest printing technique. China is said to have produced the earliest known relief prints in about c. 800.
	Wood Engraving - Ein Weihnachtsgruss aus der Heimath (trans. AA Christmas greeting from Home@) c. 1890 by Willy Stower is a good example of color wood engraving. Wood engravings were the universal, standard technique of book and magazine illustration and remained as such until being replaced by photomechanical processes in the late Nineteenth century. Wood engravings were produced using metal burins and engraving tools on the end grain of very hard wood such as box or pear wood. The word "engraving" refers more to the use of metal engravers tools which were used to produce the wood blocks than the printing process itself. The print is printed from the surface of the wood block. Up to 5 blocks were uniquely carved and inked with a different color and brought into register to achieve the color in this print. A letter press was used to print the blocks Atype high.@ The image size is 9"x 12 1/2", the print is in excellent condition.
	Lithography Lithography is a planographic (surface printing) technique. It was invented by Aloys Senefelder in 1798. Bavarian limestone was planed smooth on both sides. Stones were 4 - 6 inches thick and several inches larger than the image that was to be printed. The artist drew with a greasy crayon or ink on the stone and the stone was then sensitized in such a way to print the image. Lithography works on the principal that grease and water do not mix. After the stone was sensitized, the drawing could be rolled up in ink, the ink would only adhere to the greasy areas and as the stone was kept damp a piece of paper was placed on the surface of the stone and run through a special press to print the image. There are two methods of early lithography: the Chalk Manner and the Pen & Ink Style. With the Chalk Manner, the lines in the print appear to have been drawn with a black crayon on rough paper. The Pen & Ink Style appears to have been drawn with pen and black ink on a smooth paper. The early lithography using stones was replaced by photolithography in the late Nineteenth century and offset lithography in the 1960's. Aluminum plates are now used in place of stones. There are no plate marks with lithography since it is printed from a completely flat surface.
	Chalk Manner Lithograph - Sperm Whale- Plate XXIX Cetacea c. 1880 is a fine example of chromolithography of it's day. The registration marks in the lower left corner were used to print several stones of different colors. The Chalk Manner can be seen as a crayon drawing on paper. Copyright 1880 by Henry J. Johnson is noted at the bottom of the print. The image size is 5 1/2"x 8", the print is in excellent condition.
	Photogravure Photogravure is a complex yet richly beautiful intaglio technique. Aquatint photogravure is by far the most common type. In the 1890's it replaced sand-grain photogravure and the earlier - line photogravure, c.1870. Finely ground rosin or asphaltum was stirred up in a mixing box and the fine dust was allowed to settle on the copper plate. When the dust was melted it created what would become the dot pattern. A sheet of gelatin called carbon tissue was then sensitized to light by soaking it in a solution of potassium dichromate and adhering it to the plate over the rosin or asphaltum aquatint. The plate was then exposed to light through a positive transparency. It was etched in three solutions of ferric chloride producing many different depths of ink reservoir which in turn would print a wide range of gray values. It was estimated up to thirty-two different tones could be reproduced. Early plates needed additional handwork to strengthen the dark areas. Roulettes were used by hand to retouch the dot pattern and can be found with a magnifying glass. After 1900 the process became so perfected that no retouching was necessary. Photogravures were used in books up to the 1930's.