Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1821-03-01
RICHMOND. MARCH 1. 1921.
FOR THE ENQUIRER.
AMERICAN GENIUS.

StUl EINiShN
II is SAID, in one OF The London ma.
pers. thai $4,000 copies Of the portrait of
the Queen, executed by the American
artists Perkins a. Co. were sold i'm Lon.
don within few weeks"
This paragraph is going The rounds in
The papers and recalls TO my mind GER
tam circumstances which / have heard
from another quarter about MIR. Perkins.
and those portraits.
Ii is well known, that Perkins & Co.
have made AN attempt 10 procure the EN-.
craving OF the new notes ofthe Bank of
England. -Iiis a great desideratum in such
work 10 have the notes as uniform as
possible but as copper engravings are
app to wear out, aHd as il Is impractica-
bic tor The artist by the mere use Of the
graver TO reproduce another engraved
plate, precisely similar 10 the old one.
some mode Tor producing uniform me-
'ailc plates is a matter of great conside.
ration. Perkins undertook the task
and sncceeded 70 the asionisbnent Of the
artists of london. He had found Out a
method, for which lie has taken out a
patent, Of Softening steel then hardening
II. de took one oi those sottened steel
plates. and cause d some Of the best ar,
sists 10 contribute their skill in their diff
ierent lines IN engraving. ThepIate TINS
engraved vas nexi hardened, and the i'm
preston transferred 10 steel CYLINDER
made soft enough to receive accurately
,hc impression. This cylender was illen
hardened ami by subjecting il 10 great
pressure, he transferred this impression
upeD copper plaies. The impression
struck from these copper plates is uni
form will, Thai upon the original plate
even 10 HE initiating Of every dot and
hair line.-The artists of London were
asiOnished. have seen several Of those
notes and they are executed in a mas,
'er'v style.
II seems evident enough, that there is
no known check upon counierfeiting so
| efeciuai, as The production of uniform
| impressions, and from combination of
The first talents III the different lines of
engraving upon the plaie. No counter
iei'er would be likely 10 try il suecessfule
~ without enhsiiiig rs many talents ON
the eide OF vice q thing, which would
be extremely difficult, !! not altoeethec
impracticable.-Yn arrest the rage ,for
countereiiug. MAS The grs al object y iicf,
ihe Bank OF England had in view, and
which carried Perkins to London. He
| would have most probably succeeded in
getting The job, bun unfortunately for
him. he was an American. II has bon
given 10 Sir William Conoreve, man of
genius, who made The ceiebratrd rockets
going by his name: but Perkins has
| pledged himself iD a fortnight 10 initiate
Sir VS. not $. II is probable, notwi,h-
standing these national prejudices. thar
Perkins ..i!l al last succeed Indeed. If 1
| am moi mistaken, intelligence was brought
Us by the lasi arrival from london, that
ne WAS actually S,riking for their bank
Tie f / notes.
A word NOW of The Queens portraits.
! have seen one OF them, and also sill
smaller bat more elegantly engraved
| one OF the Kings. The former was got
! up III "A hurry 4; which accounts for lis
| interior execution. IL Was got up, in orr
der 10 graiIiy ihe desires Of furnishing
every one of The thousands, who waited
upon her III PROFESSIONS, with a badge TO
weai al the button holes this badge to
be portrait OF iiie queen stamped upon
bit OF ribben. To strike off as MANY
as would supply lhi, greai demand in SO
short space of time, Perkins had re.
course 10 ils sofieneR steel. He pro-
cured an engraving OF HE Queen. and
transferred II TO his &, !ndrich steel with
This Improvement, HAT instead OF one
portrait being stamped upon il, il Was
made about one yard in circumference,
and SIX of the portraits were stamped up-
on it. So that by one revolution If the
cyiinde!, impressions wer' taken off AZ
ONCE. The effect Of this rapid muliip!i-
cation vas 80 great fiat Perkins uas
able TO sell each portrait al al piece,
and sui clear about & Ii sierhGg in eve
ry hour. The Queens portrait is oval,
and occupies The space of about dollar
aud half
1t IL soothing to the pride # an Amerie
can to call such men as Perkins his coun.
'rymen.