The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1869-05-05
Prapg3s Art Publishing House.

liner IN the Old or New WOrid-tor the
sole purpose of issuing art publications for
the million We refeFito PFang's Art Pub
Ishing House, which was first occupied du-
ring the month of October last, and in
which seventy men and women are now
constantly employed IN producing those
wonderful fac SinsiLes of oil paintings so
widely known under the general tile OF
'tPrangs American Chromos." ageT
Mr.. Prang is by birth German, and re-
ceiVed in his native country and other con
tnental States, as well as in England, q
thoroughly practical education in everything
pertaining TO the application of chemistry
to the useful arts. Becoming embroiled
with the government of Russia In conse-
Quence of the active part which he felt it
his duty 20 take in the revolutionary move
ments of 1913, he determined to emigraie
to the United States, and, soon after his ar
rival here took up his residence in Boston,
where he has continued to live ever. since.
He has employed himself chiefly In wood
engraving and hthogEaphy.y a. ~fI= s-ytrs
AZ the beginning of the war;. his local
business as commercial lithographer being
entirely ruined, he commenced the publica-
ltion of military maps ard-portraits of the
Federal Generals, album pictures and illu-
minated texts; and his immediate success in
these ventures led him to attempt chrome,
the monopoly of which hitherto had been
enjoyed by Europe. His. first, cchromos
were not successful, but the publication of
a group. of chickens, after TAFT, won an in
slant popularity not only for the picture
itself, but for the new art. Since that date
he has issued, in regular and quick success
ion, a series of -chromos after American
and foreign artists, but chiefly after native
painters which have been received with
E<,-
his house a popularity that is seldom at
tanned excepting after long years of honest
work, great expense and untiring energy.
MIR. Prang has now no rivals in America;
for other houses do not attempt to repro
duee the feeling of an oil painting, which
distinguishes his publications.. They seem
satisfied with producing a pleasant subject
pleaSantly-with making q pretty picture
rather than striving to initiate every peculi-
arity of the original painting. Mr.. Prang's
success IN this endeavor, Iadeed, has brought
down on him the anathemas of some of the
finer critics, who seem as Indignant that the
people should possess faultless copy of a
true work of art, and presume to Judge
what is best in art, as the old monks were
intolerant of the notion that the common
herd" should have books of their own, and
interpret the holy bookss for themselves.
with evil, surely this new art of chrome
ithography IS precisely that ,benefaction.
There is absolutely nothing but good that
can How out of device by which the ref
ming Influences of art are disseminated
throughout every household in the land
| In the dwelling of the lowly as well as in
the palaces of our merchant princes.
Let US briefly describe how chromos are
made. M - -s-, EE=
A Gthograph, as our readers are aware,
differs from q steel engraving and wood
| cut, by the fact that it ls printed from a
stone, and from perfectly smooth surface.
In steel engraving the impression is pro-
duced from an indented plate That is, the
steel is cut into with sharp instrument, the
incisions are filed up with ink, the paper is
dressed Into them, and thus an impression
Is secured. In q wood cut, on the contrary,
as with common type, the impression is
made by the ink deposited on raised sur.
face; all the parts that are intended to bC
blank in the picture having been. cut away
An entirely different method obtains in lith
ography. Here then is neither raised no.
sunken surfaces; everything, as one writer
| aas expressed it, IS as smooth as politi
clans ante election promises. sfI
The Iithograph is printed on large
slabs of stone, known as lithOgraphi(
stone, Quarried In Bavaria, containing
carbonate of lime, which, as is vel
known, has strong affinity for oils
| These slabs are three or four inches IN
thickness, and before they are USED
they are polished to their utmost ca
pacity, and they readily take an eX-
/ quisite finish. If IL is desired TO prin
a portrait, for example, the drawing
is made directly on the stone, eithel
with a lithOgrsphic rcrayon or per
charged with photographic ink. Now
q photographic pencil il simply har
dened piece Of fatty matter, colOreC
black in order to snow the marks
and ithOgraphic ink is q black fiuiC
charged with oily ingredients, TIL,
oil In the ink or pencil forms chem
ical union with the lime of the stone
and the application Of certain acid
4 fixes 1t indlssolubly. It only remains
now that this result has been reached
TO I'LL up the pores Of those parts o
the stone which were Intended to b.
blank, with gum, in order to preVen
the Ink, when applied afterwards
, from adhering to them This done
which, gives certain enamel to thl
blank spaces, the stone Is placed on
I press and wet with sponge. TIL,
INK or color is then applied with {
roller. OF course, the gummed por
tions Of the stone, having retained thI
moisture from the sponge, reject th'
oily color, whereas the drawn or OILY
portions of the stone, having rejected
the water, retain the greasy ink. Thu
paper is then put on, and the impres
sion taken. l.. d
Ohromos, on the other hand, ''fuI
chromos,p are produced by pure col
ior-by carefully printing tint owe
tint, color over color, here a little ant
there a little, now deepening, nov
heightening, now shading, nov
Observation-Disclosures the methoi
although not the tools of the artis
with. the brush and palette. TIL
inst color is commonly 8 light grOun'
tint, which covers all the print, o
most OF it, excepting, for example
In q figure piece, the spots to be GOV
cred by the eyes, or 70 be rendered Il
white. which a grey or pinkish grount
tint would spoil The next, and ev
cry succeeding stone, up, sometime
as high as thirty stones, each ston
|. having separate color. This proces
is continued until all the effects Of tn
original have been produced, and n
! chrome is entitled to be regarded a
I a mastery one which, viewed at
! short distance, could be detected as a
imitation. Prang's chTOmOs, SEEN a
, a distance of few feet, have deceiv
ed the best artists in the country, ,wh
!, quite as frequently select his work, q
. the painting, for the original picture
70 Itmay strike the reader as eXtrs
ordinary that it is possible in a pic
: ture which has gene through the pres
between twenty and thirty times I
be able to obtain that exactness 1
gistratiOn, Ito use a technics
> phrase, which enables the workme
: = 70 print the color in precisely the rfgh
place every time. For any one ca
redily zee that IL the paper were I
I shrink little, or lfthe preSsmaR wei
; not to hit the exact spot, the eyelashC
S of the Barefoot Boy. for. instanc,
might be planted in the centre of hi
pupils, or pEomoted to the rank {
brevet eye bnOWs- But this difficult
q Is ingeniouslys overcome in, chrom
> 1ithography. The first process In NAL
3 ing picture Is to trace skeleton ou
: line, not Of the figure or eonnpOsitio
u -