Buchanan County bulletin and guardian. (Independence, Iowa) 1866-1869, 1868-07-03
From the Boston Daily Advertiser.
HOW CHROMOS ARE MADE

18OW ltAHSOMOS n n II "a ADJ
CHRoMo>LlTHoGRAPnY is the art OF print-
ing pictures from stone, in colors. The
most difficult branch of (which is now
generally implied when chromos are spoken
offs the art of reproducing oil paintings.
When o chrome is made by competent
hand it presents an exact counterpart Of the
original painting, with the delicate grada-
tons Of tints and shades, and with much Of
the spirit aud tone Of production Of the
brush and pallet.
To understand how chromos are made,
the art OF TYPOGRAPHY must first be briefly
explained. The stone used in lithos raphing
is a species of limestone found in Bavaria
and is wrought into thick slabs with finely
polished surface. The drawing is made Ap-
on the slab with a sort Of colored soap,
which adheres to the stone, and enters into a
chemical combination with it after the appli-
cation Of certain acids and gums. When
the drawing is complete, the slab is put on
the press, and carefully dampencd with q
sponge. The oil color Tor ink) is then ap>
piled with common printers roller. OF
course, the parts Of slab which contain no
drawing, being wet, resist the ink; while
the drawing i'selfbeing oily. repels the water,
but retains the color applied 1t is thus
that, without raised surface or incision -
as in common printing. wood>cuts, and steel
engravings-lithography produces printed
drawing from a perfectly smooth stone.
In chrome, the first proof is a light
ground-tint, covering nearly all the surface.
1t has only faint, shadowy resemblance to
the completed picture. 1t is in fact rather a
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 and again; occasionally,
~ often as thirty times. We saw one proof,
in visit to Mr.. Prang's establishments
group Of cattle,-that had passed through
the press twelve times and it still bore a
greater resemblance TO q spoiled colored
photograph than to the charming picture
which it subsequently, became. The num-
Der of impressions, however. does not neces-
sarily indicate the number Of colors is a
painting, because the colors and tints are
greatly multiplied BY combinations created
in the process Of printing over another. In
twenty-five impressions, it is sometimes ne
cessary and possible to produce hundred
dstince shades.
The last impression is made by an engraT-
ed stone, which produces that resemblance
to canvas noticeable in all of Mr.. Prang's
finer specimens. English and German
chromos, as . rule, do not attempt to give
this delicate fnal touch, although it would
seem to be essential in order to make q per-
feet imitation of q painting.
The paper used is white, heavy .plate
paper" Of the best qnality; which has to
I, pass through heavy press. sheet sheet,
koc,~, ,tse 90 Et N, n ip,r
sion.
need hardly add, requires equally great skill
add, judegmentat every stage. Asingle error
is Instantly detected by the practiced eye in
the finished specimen. The production ola
chrome, if tits at all complicated, requires
several months somtimes several years
Of careful preparation. The mere drawing
| the different and entirely~detached parts
on so many different stones is of itself a
work that requires an amount of labor and
degree OF skill, which TO person unfamiliar
with the process. would appear incredible.
Still more difficult, and needing still greater
skill, is the process Of coloring. This DEM
ands Knowledge which artists have hither>
to almost exclusively monopolized. and in
addition to it, the practical familiarity of a
| printer with mechanical details. Drying
and "registering" as important bran, hes
Of the art Of making chromos as drawing
and coloring. On proper registering, for
example, the en ire possibility Of producing
picture Mt every stage of its progress de>
ponds. Registering is that part Of press
mans work which consists in SO arranging
the paper in the press, that it shall receive
the impression on exactly the same spot OF
every sheet. In book work, each page mus.
be exactly opposite the page printed on the
other side Of the sheet, in order that the i'm
preston, If 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 chromo>li>
biography the difference Of . hair breadth
would spoil picture for it would hopeless
~ mix up the colors.
After the chrome has passed through the
press, it is embossed and vanished, and
put up for the market. These final pros
cesscs are fer the purpose OF breaking the
glossy light, and Of softening the hard out.
lines which the picture receives from the
stone, whichimparts to it the resemblance Of
painting on canvas.
Mr. Prang began his business in the huns
Ditst way, uut uHs thpiuty iucreaSeu us rs
tabishment, until he now employs 6ftv
workmen, --nearly oil of them artists and
artisans of the most skillful elass,--and is
preparing to move into larger building at
Roxbury. He uses eighteen presses his
sales ale enormous. His catalogue now
embraces large nul Der of Album Cards,
about seventy sets OF twelve in each set; 4
beautiful selies Of Illuminated :. Beati,udes.n
and "Scriptural Notices = an endless list
Of our great men, and Of men not 50 great
after all , Of Juveniles, notably, profusely
illustrated edition of"Old Mother Hubbard
and of half chromos and chromos proper.
Tai,'s Chickens" .Ducklings, and
"Quails,' were the first chromos that mel,
instant and wide recognition. Nineteen
thousand copies Of the ''Chickens- alo.e
were sold. Bricher's Early Autumn on
Esopas Crekr is enc Of the best chromos
ever made on small scale. The " Bull
finch" and the Linnet" latter CruikshankA
are admirable. There are other chromos
which are less successful, and one or two
which are not successful at al bu: they
are nearly all excellent copies OF the originals,
with which the defects must be charged.
The chromos Of Brichcrs paintings are
really wonderfully accurate.