Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1894-12-06
THEATRICAL POSTERS.
Many of Them Are Works of Art and
Come High.

Come High.
Just now the travelling theatrical
companies are starting out for their
regular annual tours. An important
and expensive part of their equipment
is an outfit for display bills for adver-
Using. For this item alone first-class
show on the road will spend about S11J
a week for a season of forty-fiye
weeks, says the Philadelphia Times
They cost so much money because art
in this line has attained high point
Of development within the last few
years, many of the pictures which
adorn fences and dead walls today
being admirable in both drawing and
coloring.
The pictures are printed almost al.
ways from stone, which has taken the
place of the wooden bloc'is formerly
used for the purpose. These blocks
were Of pine or Eastwood, though
cherry was employed for jobs requir-
ing very tine work.
The ceiling of an entire floor Of one
large factory is composed Of a MOSAIC
of out-of-date blocks Of this kind.
Among them one discovers such old
friends as Uncle Tom and Lord Dun
dreary. This method of printing has
not been abandoned wholly. 1t is still
nracticed to some extent on account Of
its greater cheapness. Dry goods
firms and other business houses are us
ing it for advertising. and 1t is en-
ployed by some newspapers for col
cred illustrations.
Ten years ago all the theatrical dis
play bills were printed from blocks.
The earliest colored cartoons of Puck
were produced in the same fashion.
This branch of wood-cutting used to
be Of no small Importance. The wood
used, being soft, was easily chiseled,
the cost of engraving being from $3.50
to $40 per block. Four blocks were re-
uuired for each picture. One for black,
another for yellow, third for red and
q fourth for blue Combination OF
these gave all other hues and tints.
When a show bill is to be ordered
the manager Of the theatrical company
goes to the factory and gives his ideas
for the picture to the artist-in-chief.
Under direction of the latter a sketch
is made in black and white. This
takes Il day Competition is 80 brisk
that quickness. which means saving
of cost, is Of the utmost Importance.
Nevertheless. the sketch is elaborate
and includes all details. The drawing
is all done ION cheek" as the technical
phrase is, no models being employed.
The sketch being approved by the
manager, possibly with some correc-
tions suggested. it is handed over TO
The "black man." who copies it on the
photographic stone from which the
black parts of the picture are eventu-
ally to be printed. But some artistic
talent is required for working in this
way from sketch, and so photographs
are used to considerable extent. En-
larged solar prints are made from the
photographs, and these are reproduced
on the stone This method does very
we'll for portraits Of actors and act
resses.
After the "black man" has finished
the picture on his stone he adds the
lettering. This has to be done back
wards, OF course. fhe workman gets
used to doing it iii reyerse and finds it
no more difficult thu way, though mis-
takes are easier 10 make. Most of
the lettering is executed by hand, but
some of it is printed from big type
and put on the some by means of
transfer paper. Vow the stone is
which four impressions are struck off
from it on sheets OF paper. One of the
sheets goes to the artist-in- chief, who
paints in the colored parts with water
colors for model The other sheets
are handed over 10 the yellow, red
and blue men, who copy the model.
1t Is not intended to give here a
description of the processes of chrome
photography. Suffice it to say that the
design made by the ''black man" is
reproduced on three other stones by
the yellow man, the red man and the
blue man. When the four stones are
finished they are put into four great
presses. one carrying black ink, an
other yellow, third red anG tn fourth
blue. Each white sheet that Is to re-
ceive the picture must pass through all
four presses. The yellow is put on
first, it being the foundation color;
then the red, next the black and finally
the blue. Stones with very fine grain
are used for fesh-tints and delicate
tones.
The designing of display bills Is a
peculiar branch Of art requiring a
special sort of training. nracticed