The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1868-08-13
TIPTON, IOWA, AUGUST ls, 1868.

f0DSly lllustratsd edition of"Old Mother
Hubbard" and Of half chromos and
chromos proper. Tait's "Chickens,"
"Duckltngs, and "Quails" were the
6rst chrosMos that met instant and wide
recognition. Nineteen thousand copies
Of the ''Chickens'' alone were sold.
Bricher's EARLY Autumn on EyOpus
Creok" ID one Of the bsst ch4omoe ever
made on . small scale. The "Bulnnch"
and the "Ltnnet" later Cruikshank)
are admirable. There are other chromos
which are Lees successful, and Que or
two that Are not successful at all ; but
they are nearly all excellent copies Of
the originals, with which the defects
The chromos Of Bricher's paintings
are really woderfuiiy accurate.
Mr.. Prang's masterpiece, however, 10
not yet published, although 1t IL nearly
ready for the market. 1t entirely sur
passes oil his previous efforts It 10
Cofregto's "MA0DALENA," and eau
hardly fall, We think, t. command .
4Iiek and hearty recognition.
mo:hqhdK dKNYny y"ads'q discovery, chro:
detractors, ,-those who clai IN for 1t per.
haps impossible capabilities, and those
whoregardit ~ mere hAndicraft, which
no skin can ever elevate into the digni-
ty Of IN art. We do not care to enter
into these disputes. Whether IN art or
handicraft, chrolno-lithography csr.
tainly se-produces charming little
pictures vastly superior to any colored
plates that we have had before; and 1t
10, at least, clearly entitled to be regard
sd - means Of educating the popular
taste, and thereby raising the national
ideal Of art.
A correspondent looking at chromos
from this point of view, thus indicates
lit may be somewhat enthusiastically
their possible influence OH the culture
Of the people,
"What the discovery Of the art Of
printing did for the mental growth Of
the people, the art Of chromo-lithogra-
ply seems destined to accomplish for
their aesthetic culture. Before types
were first made, scholars and the wealth.
Ter classes had ample opportunities for
study: for even when Bibles were
chained ia churches, aud copies Of the
Scriptures (then sptIy so styled were
worth herd Of cattle, there were large
libraries accessible to the sristocrscy OF
rank and mind. But these were guard
ed against the masses by the double
book posses sed no attractions for the
man who could not read the alphabet /;
aud, because they were rare and hard to
get 1T, he had no Indictment to master
their mysteries. Made cheap and COM
mon, the meanest pei asant, in the course
of Il few generations, found sOlsce for his
griefs in the pages ofs the greatest au-
thors of his times and Of oil time.
Mental culture became possible for
whole nations and democracy with its
illimitable blessings, gradually grew up
under the little shadow Of the hrs,
printers proof
Until within = quite recent period
art has been feudal in its ass Citations.
Galleries Of priceless pa intings, indeed,
there have al ways been In certain cities
whole. they have been equally inac
cessible aud unappreciated, because no
previous training had taught the COM
munity hOW to prize them. 1t was like
Harvard College without the district
school, planet without satellites,
and too far removed from the world OF
the people for its light to shine in the
cottage and in the homes Of the masses.
Now, chromo-lithoxrsphy, although
still In its infancy, promises to diffuss
not love Of art merely among tho peo-
pie at large, but to disseminate the
choicest masterpieces Of art itself. 1t il
art republicanized aud naturalized in
America. It's attempta hitherto have
been comparatively unambitious; but it
WAS not Homer aud Plato that were
first honored by the printing-press. 1,
was dreary catechisms Of dreary creeds
So will it be with this new art. AZ the
popular taste improves, the subjects will
be worthier Of an art which seeks t.
give back to mankind what has hitherto
been confined to the few"