The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1870-12-29
HOW CHROMOS ARE MADE.
From the Advance.

i Chrome photography, the art of obtain
ing impressions in Gil colors from stone
| 8 by No means discovery of late years
Though within the last decade it has mad
| che most rapid progress and attained Its
greatest celebrity. The productions Of
), years ago were by no means equal to thu
vorksof the present day. They were
rather illuminated prints" in character
similar to prints colored with the brush :
whereas an excellent chrome should re
semble an oil painting so closely as to de
|ceive even the connoisseur. 1t is evident
that to accomplish this an elaborate and
lcomplicated modus operandi is necessary.
i The stones most used are found near
Munich, In Bavaria, and other portions
of Germany, and before using must be
Ipolished with punice stone to = glass like
lsmoothness. A chrome il not itself an
lorginal picture, but is in all cases copy
OF painting, The first step in the pro
Cess is to obtain the outline drawing.
This is done by fastening a sheet Of tranS
parent tracing paper over the original
painting, and tracing thereon the outlines
otthe picture. This tracing is then trans
ierred To as many stones as may be neces
sary to complete the picture, the number
OF stones required depending wholly upon
! the number Of colors in the painting, as
each separate color and shade requires a
separate stone, These outlines are not in
tended as an lntegrating part of the future
picture they are transferred to the differ
ent stores in sucn manner as not to be
seen in be finished chrome, and only serve
the artist as guide in his labors He
must contlne himself throughout, with
the most minute exactness, within this
limit, so that the impression from each
successive stone shall, in its outlines, be an
exact duplicate of those already taken. 1t
Ilsihls fact which compels the mechanical
transfer OF the outlines, for it would be
physical y impossi bic to produce the same
bonn iarles or outlines upon different
stones by tie aid Of the eye alone.
| The outlines, having been obtained, the
4 art'sl, placing the original painting be
tore him, covers with sort of crayon
such portions OF the stone as are to re
ceiye certain color the flesh tint of a
PORTRAIT it may be, or the, dark gray OF
: he backgroTnd-which when the stone
has been placed under acid are the orly
portions OF It's surface that will receive
or transfer to paper any color whatever
4 The next stone he prepares in the samt
!, way-fpr the red lips, perhaps--cover
ing with the crayon the outlined lips %
) the stone, the nsxt for the gray or black
!. 0 The hair, the next for the blue of tn,
1 US, the next for lighter or darker
shade Of gray or back, and so on unit
ali the stones are ready 1
The first stone is then placed upon thu
bed of the press, and the color having
been spread over it with rolier as ii
type printing, the sheets of card board OF
which the chrome is to be printed. ar,
placed upon 1t, one by one, and an i'm
preston taken by the means Gf heavy
!, pressure On looking at this proof, M
: color will be found except where tn,
stone had been covered with crayon, a
/, mentioned above. When the whole eli
, Ion has received the first color, she sec
ond stone takes the place OF the first, anC
: the same sheets are run through the pres
; and the second color received TIL
second S one is then replaced by thl
third, and this in turn by the fourth, an.
, So on until the picture is finished 4
many as thirty stones have been used 70
!. one picture, with the most perfect results
1t is evident that first class chrome Cal
: only be produced under the most tavora
I bie circumstances, and when everything
{ works to a charm. Tue chrome arts
3 must necessarily be peculiarly fitted 70
this work. He muse be thorough and &C
), compllshcd as an artist, gifted with III
: common taste in colors, and must have al
e un%earying patience; at the same tim
% ha h., III r.,
ylduallty IN that of another, for the rea
r son that his success is great exactly ii
8 proportion to the perfection with which
he copies the original.
}, The utmost care is required in the en-
0 tire process, but that the care and skill
displayed are fully appreciated, ethous
ands Of homes Oh whose walls the chrom
has found resting place best give evi
dence.
r