Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1890-09-18
noR ! oanolro IS wAps.
An Interesting Process with which
Few People are Familiar.


Few People are FamiIiaF.
We see tens OF Thousands of chror1os
which are given away by every enterprise
ing business man, yet venture the as
sertion that very few know now they are
produced, says writer in the Nashville
Times. To properly produce chrome
the photographer must be on rapport with
the artist. lie must anslyze the picture,
FULLY realize the combinations of colors
and the spirit of the work. Having deter
mined just how many basic colofs enter
into the picture, tine artist common css his
work by preparing lithographic stone
soY each separate color. Tho artist COM
menoes his work by making delicate
and elaborate ink tracing of the picture
not only its general outlines, but the
minute and intricate touches and shades
OF color of which 1t is composed. the
tracing paper is chemically prepared, 10
that the lines upon it can ba readily
transferred to stone. press is employed
to transfer the impressions on the paper
to the stone, considerable pressure being
used. Thousands of Impressions can
then b. taken from the stone By simply
running an ink roller over ii.
The tracing thus transformed forms
what 10 known az the keystone. Suppose
there are 20 colors in the chrome. This
number OF impressions is taken from the
keystone and each carefully busted with
red chalk. A dim Offset of tine entire
tracing ia then pressed on each one OF
these stones.
The drawing then begins and often oo-
cupieB many months. Each stone Is to
De printed in separate color, and there
fore must contain not only all that IL
necessary OF that color OF the picture, tt
| the minutest, but all OF the compound
| colorB, made by printing one or more
over others. A variety of gredationa Of
color from its full strength to the faint.
est tinting can be produced ON one stone,
Just as in using an ordinary pencil or
Dragon on drawing paper. These war;
GUS eolors are, Of course, worked up In
black by The artist, and it is the printer
who applies the colors. The lines on
each separate stone are etched with tina
wash OF nitric acid and gum arabic, and
are ready for the presses.
The printer must be as skilful as the
artist in applying his oolors, and must
fully realize the blending and effect of
each color. As fast % each color is
| printed it is submitted to the artist, who
has thus progressive proof Of the work.
1t has been probably noticed that lines
CROSS each other on the margin OF q
chrome. These are the registering marks;
and enable the printer to place the sheet
in the same relative position every time a
new stone is used and now color ap-
piled. These lines are drawn in the
Original tracing and appear on each stone.
When the first color 10 printed, very
small holes are punotured in each sheet
at the intersection OF these lines, very
fine holes are also drilled In correspond
ing positions on each of the subsequent
stones, and the holes in the paper are to
correspond precisely with the holes in the
stone, and thus as each additional color
is put on perfect register lie sec fred,
and each color falls Just where 1t belongs.
The next process is to make the chrome
have rough surface like an oil painting.
stone is now prepared which hos q
rough surface similar to canvas. The
chrome ID then laid upon it and passed
through press with heavy pressure.
When II comes forth it is an exact imita-
ton of the painting. II 10 then vanished
and thus you have the chrome ready FOL
the market.