The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1868-09-17
HOW Cna0A0s ARR a1AD1e.,
?
~ lAs Restoa Dolly Advertiser.

ROW cxaoAos ARR MADE.
I'm ~ Bsssoa Dolly Adssrs;.er.
Chrome Lithography il tho art Of
printing pistures from stone, 10 eolors.
The most difficult branch Of (which
il now generally implied when ohromos
are spoken Of lis the art Of reproduce
ing oil paintings. When a chrome is
made BY a competent hand, it presents
an exact counterpart Of the original
painting, with the delicate gradations
Of tints and shades, aad with much Of
The spirit and tone Of a production Of
tho brush and pallet.
To understand how ohrouos are made
the ut Of ithogtsphy must frat be
briefly exphined. The stone used in
aithographiue is species Of limestone
found il Bavaria, and is wrought into
thick slabs with duely polished surface.
The drawing is made upon the slab
With sort Of eolored soap, which ad
here's to the stone, and enters into
chemical combination with it after the
application Of certain acids and gums
When the. drawing is complete, the slab
is put on the prees, and carefully damp
ened with sponge. The oil color Cor
ink) is then applied With a common
printers roller. OF course, the parts
Of the slab which contain no drawing,
being wet resist the ink; while til c
drawing itself, being oily, repels the
water, but retains the color applied. 1t
Is thus that, without raised surface or
incision-as in common printing, wood
outs, and steel eugravins-lithograpby
produces printed drawings from per-
fsetly smooth stone.
In chrome, the 6rst proof is light
eround-sint, covering nearly all the sur
fass. 1t has only faint, shadowy re-
ssmbhnee to the complete picture. 1t
10 in met rather . shadow than an out
line. The next proof, from the second
stone, contains Ill the shades Of anoth-
q color. THIS process is repeated again
and again and sgain; occasionally, as
asea - thirty times. We saw one
proof in . visit to Mr.. Pr.ug's sstab.
lishnent,-a group of c.tt|e.-tha. had
paaDpd through tho press twelve tunes
and still bore greater resemblance t.
spoiled solored photograph than to
tho charming picture which it subse-
qaenily became. The number Of i'm
lressiocs, however, docs not necessarily
indicate the number of colors in
b>iating, because thu colors and tius
arc great, multiplied BY combinations
GRATED in ahe process Of printing one
over snother. In twenty-five impress,
'o's, it il sometimes necessary and pos
sible to produce \ hundred distinct
shades.
The last impression is made by an
engraved stone. which produces tina
resemblance to Canvas noticeable in all
Of Mr.. Prang's finer specimens. ing
Gsh and German cbromos, as rule, d.
not attempt to give this delicate final
touch, although it would seem essential
in order to make perfect imitation Of
. painting.
The paper used is white, heavy
"plats paper" Of the best quality,
which has to pass through heavy
press, sheet by sheet, before its surface
y 1t to receive IN impr ession.
The process thus briefly explained,
vs need hardly add, requires equally
great skill and judgment at every stage.
A single error is instantly detected BY
the practiscd eye in the finished speci-
men. The production CT a chrome,
it it IS at all complicated, requires sever
al months-sometimes several years-of
careful preparation. The mere drawing
Of the different and entirely -deta ched
parts on so many different stones is Of
itself a work that requires an amount OF
labor and a 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 colorlng. This de-
mands knowledge which artists have
hitherto almost exclusively monopolized
and, in addition to it, the practical ia. |
milisrity of 4 printer with mechanical |
details. "Drying" and Registering"
are - important branches Of the art Of |
making ohromos IS drawing and color
ing. On proper registering, for e.
ample, the entire possibility Of produe- |
Ing . picture At every stage Of its pro-
grs0 depends. "Registering'' il that |
part Of pressman's work which con. |
siats il 80 arranging the paper in the |
D1ess, that it shall receive the impress
sion on exactly the same spot of every !
shees' In book work, each page must
Be exactly opposite the page printed on
sAs other side of the sheet, in order
'h@s the impression, if IN thin paper,
nay not ''show through" In ncws.