The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-03-22
How On. ONO. Are Made
"paANe'so woNpERTuL PROOFS ).

Chromo-liihograpby is the art of printing of
pictures from stone In colors. The most difficult
branch of it, which is now generally implied when
chromos are spoken oils the art reproducing
oil paintings. When q chrome is made by com.
petent hand. it presents an exact counterpart of
the original painting, with the delicate gradations
OF tnts and shades, and with much of the spirit
and tone Of production of the brush and pallet.
To understand how chromos are made, the art
of TYPOGRAPHY must first be briefly examined.
The stone used in lithographing is species of
limestone found in Bavaria. and is wrought into
thick slabs with finely polished SUI face. The
drawing is made upon the slab with sort of
coored soap, which adheres to the stone aud en-
tiers into a chemical comb nation with it after the
spphca ion of certain acids and gums. When the
drawing is complete the slab is put on the press
and carefully dampened with q sponge. The oil
color (0r ink is then applied with common
printers roller. OF course the parts of the slab
wi ich contain.no drawing, being wet, resist the
ink while the drawing itself, being oily, repels the
water, but retains the color applied. Ii is thus
that, without q raised surface or incision-as in
common printing, wood cuts AID steel engraving
lithography produces printed drawings from a
perfectly smooth stone.
In a chrome, the first proof is light ground
tint, covering nearly all the surface. IL has only
a faint, ,shadOwy resemblance TO the completed
picture. Ii il, in fact, rather shadow than an
outline. The next proof, from the second stone,
contains all the shades of another color. This
process is repeated again and again; occasionally,
as often thirty times. The number Of impress
sioDs however, does not necessarily indicate the
n0mber of colors in painting, because the col0rs
aud tiDts are greatly multiplied by combinations
created in the process OF printing over one
suother. In twenty-five impressions, it is some
times necessary and possible to produce hun.
dred distinct shades. The last impression is
made by an engraved stone, which produces that
resemblance to canvas noticeable in all of the
finer specimens. English and German chromOs,
as a rule, do not attempt to give this delicate
final touch, although it would seem to be essential
in order TO make perfect imitation Of painting.
The paper used is white, heavy "pate " paper,
of the best quality. which has to pass through
heavy press sheet by sheet, before Its surface Is
fit to receive an impression.
The process thus briefly explained, we need
hardly add. requires equally great skill and judg
ment at every sage. A single error is instantly
detected, by The practiced eye, in the finished
specimen. The production of chrome. If it is
at all complicated, requires several months
sometimes several years-of careful preparation.
The mere drawing of the different and entirely de-
tached parts on 80 many different stones Il Of
itself q work that requires an amount oflabOr and
degree of skill. which TO a person unfamiliar
with the process, would appear incredible.
Still more difficult. and needing still greater skl
is tie process of coloring. This demands
know ledge which artists have hitherto
almost exclusively monopolized, and. in
addition to it, the practical familiarity of
printer with mechanical details. DRY
mgr and Registering are as important
IS drawing and coloring. On proper registering,
for example, the entire possibility Of producing
picture at every stage Of its progress depends.
Registering is that part Of pressman's work
which consists in so srranging the paper 10 the
press that il shall receive the impression on ex-
actly the same spot Of every sheet. In book
! work each page must be exactly opposite the