The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1868-10-09

itself work that requires an amount Of la.
Dor aud degree of skill, which TO a person
unfamiliar with the process, would appear
incredible. Still more difficult, and needing
greater skill, is the process Of colorug. 80
This demands a knowledge which artists
have hitherto almost exclusively monopoli.
zed, and, in addition to it, the practical ia.
miliarity Of printer with the mechanical
details "Drying" and registering are as
important branches of the art Of making
chromOs as drawing and cooring On
proper registering, for example, the entire
possibility Of producing picture ut every
stage Of It's progress depends Register.
Jug" is that part Of pressmau's work
which consists in 30 arranging the paper, in
the press, that it shall receive the impress
sion on exactly the same spot OF every
sheet. In b6ok.work each page must be ex.
acty opposite the page printed on the other
side Of the sheet, in order that the impress.
sion, il on thin paper, may not show
through In newspaper work this is OF less
importance, and often is not attended TO
with any special care. But IN chrome.
| TYPOGRAPHY the difference of hairs
breadth would spoil picture for it would
! hOpelessly mix up the colOrs.
After the chrome has passed through the
press, it is embossed and vanished, aud
| then put up for the market. These final
processes ure for the purpose Of breaking
| the glossy light, and o: sOtteuing the hard
outlines which imparts to it the resemblance
Of painting on canvas.
Mr.. Prang began his business in the hum.
blcst way, but has rapidly increased his es.
adjustment, until he now employs fifty
workmen-uearlv all Of them artists aud ar.
tisans Of the most sMlltul class--and is pre-.
pairing to move into larger building at
| Roxbury. He uses eighteen presses and
| his sales are enormous. His catalogue now
embraces large number Of album cards,
about seventy sets Of twelve in each sett /;
a beautiful series Of illuminated Beat.
udcs" and "Scriptural Notices. and au end.
| less list of our great men, and Of men not
50 great after all Of juveniles, notably, a
profusely illustrated edition Of "Old Mother
Hubbard and Of half chrumos and chro
mos proper. TaIt's "Chickens,' "Duck'
ings, and "Quails' were the first chromos
that met an instant aud wide recognition.
Nineteen thousand copies Of the "Cbickens
alone were sold. Brichcrs Early Autumn
on Esopus Creek is one Of the best chro
mos ever made on small scale. The
"Bullfnch" aud the "Linnet' ,alter Cruik
shank are admirable There are other
chromos which are less successful, and one
or two that are not successful NJ all; bu
they are nearly all excellent copies OF the
originals with which the defects must b,
charged
The chromos Of Bricher's paintings ar,
really wonderfully accurate.
Mr.. Praug's masterpiece, however, is not
vet published, although it is nearly ready
. for the market 1t entirely surpasses all hi,
previous efforts. 1t is Correggio's MA c
pALFNA,' and cannot fail, We think, to com
, mand a quick sale and hearty recognition
Like every modern discovery, chrome
f TYPOGRAPHY has its partisans and detractor
G those who claim for it perhaps impossible
+. capabilities, aud those who regard it a.
?. mere handicralt, which no skill can ever el
g eyate into the dignity Of All art. We DO no
care to enter into these disputes. Whethe
an art or handicraf, acknowledgement
/ certainly re.produces charming little pic
lures vast " superior to any colored plate
= that we have had before; and 1t is, a
) least, clearly entitled to be regarded as
;, means Of educating the popular taste, ant
e thereby raising the natural ideal OF art.
It A correspondent, looking at chromos from
this point Of view, thus indicates lit may b
somewhat enthusiastically their p0sslbi
!, influence on the culture of the people:
i what the discovery of the art of prlntn
/. did for the mental growth OF the people, til
art of acknowledgement seems destined t
accomplish for their aesthetic culture. B,
fore types were first made, scholars and tn
" wcaIthi0r classes had ample opportunities t
@ study, for even when Bibles were cbaine
% in churches oul oopi~o Of liz Scripture
r. then APPLY so.styledl were worth a herd q
I, cattle, there were large libraries accessible
to the aristocracy Of rank and mind Blu
e they were guarded against the masses b
If the double doors Of privilege and Ignorance
n 4 book possessed no attractions for the ma
who could not read the alphabet; and, BE-
e cause they were rare and hard to get at, h
had no Indictment to master their mysteries
Made cheap and common, the meanes
peasant, in the course of q few generations
found solace for his grieis in the pages Q
the greatest authors of his times and of al
time, Mental culture become possible 70
all nations and democracy, with illimita
!, BE blessings, gradually grew up under th
e little shadow Of the FIRST printers proof"
v Until within quite recent period, ar
] has been feudal III its associations. Caller
J. les of priceless paintings, indeed, there hav
t always been in certain favored cities ant
i countries; but to the people, as whole
j. they have been equally inaccessible aud un
appreciated, bee iuse no previous trainin!
I had taught the community h0lo to prizt
them. 1t was like Harvard college withou
:, the district school--a planet without satel
= lites, and too far removed from the world TO
; its light to shine in the cottage and in thu
, homes Of the masses
"Now, chromoIithography, although still
in its infancy, promises to dilfuse not love
, of art merely among the people at large, bu
to OBSTINATE the choicest masterpieces o
art itself. It's the art republicanized anc
! naturalized in America. Its attempts hth
erto have been comparatively unambitious
| but it was not Homer and Plato that were
first honored by the printing press. 1t was
dreary catechisms of dreary creeds. So i
will be with this new art. As the popular
taste improves, the subjects will be worth
er Of an art which seeks to give back tc
mankind what has hitherto been confined
to the few
GAzsssRAaza