The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1890-03-20
CHRONIC MANUFACTURE.


How Really Artistic Copies Of PaIntines
Are Produced.
All chromos are not works Of art BY
any means, some being most atrocious
dsubs, But really good chrome is but
little inferior in artistic value to the
painting of which it is copy. To
properly produce . chrome, litho-
grapher must be himself an artist; he
must analyze the picture and fully real
ize the combinations Of colors and the
spirit of the work
The photographer begins by preparing
stone for each separate color, and
there may he as many as twenty. Then
he makes a delicate and elaborate ink.
tracing of the picture; net only its gen
eral outlines, but the minute and intri-
cate touches and shades of color of which
it is composed,
The tracing paper 's chemically pre-.
pared, 80 that the lines upon it can be
readily transferred to stone. A press is
employed to transfer the impressions on
the paper to the stone, considerable
pressure being used. Thousands Of i'm.
pressions can then be taken from the
stone by simply running an ink-roller
over it.
The tracing thus transferred forms
what is known as the "key stone" Sup
pose there are twenty colors in the
chrome. This number of Impressions is
taken from the key stone and each care
fully busted with red chalk. A dim
copy of the entire tracing is then pressed
on each one Of these stones.
The drawing then begins, and often
occupies many months. Each stone IS
to be printed in a separate color, and
therefore must contain not only all that
is necessary Of that color Of the picture,
to the minutest detail, but all Of the
compound colors, made by printing one
or more over others.
A variety Of gradations Of color from
its full strength to the faintest tinting
can be produced on each stone, just as
in using an ordinary pencil or crayon on
drawing paper. The various colors are,
Of course, worked up in black by the
artist, and 1t is the printer who applies
the colors. The lines on each separate
stone are etched with the wash Of nitric
acid and gum arabic, and are ready for
the presses.
The printer must be as skiliful as the
artist in applying his colors, and must
fully realize the blending and effect Of
each color. As fast as 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
chrome. These are the registering
marks, and enable the printer to place
the sheet in the same relative position
every time new stone is used and
new color applied.
These lines are drawn in the original
tracing and appear on each stone. When
the first color is printed very small
holes are punctured in each sheet at the
intersection of these lines, very fine
holes are also drilled in corresponding
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 oD, perfect register is So
cured and each color falls just where it
belongs.
no uOAI pIOOoSS 40 w hoAO euO
chrome have rough surface like an oil
painting. A stone is now prepared
which has rough surface, similar to
canvass. The chrome is then laid upon
it and passed through press with
heavy pressure. When it comes forth,
it is an exact imitation Of the painting.
1t is then vanished, and thus you have
the chrome ready for the market.
An expensive part Of chromo-making
is the photographic stone. A bed Of
photographic stone has been found in
Tennessee, and there are small quarries
in France, England and Canada, but it
is all of a coarse quality.
There is only one really fine quarry.
and that is in Bavaria, and the stone Is
worth thirteen cents a pound.-Golden
H.,