The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1900-11-24


-" asked, GLOW can a newspaper
~ publish a mans portrait in so
~ short space of time after
. his death? This question can
,e answered easily by a newspaper art
St. or one who is familiar with the
aethods of a great newspaper. 1t applies
lot only to portraits but to every affair
# Importance that is illustrated in
tally newspaper, a fire, runaway, street
ar smashup, murder or suicide. Few
persons have an idea of the technical
process a picture must go through be-
ore it can be published. 1t really seems
~"cat task to produce Mate from
which portrait can be printed, but
it is quite a simple matter.
A few years ago the chalk plate proc,
ess was used to produce newspaper por-
traits, but cuts so made were unreliable,
and the technique was coarse and fiat.
The zinc etching process is used to-day
by every large newspaper. The reader
can form a concise idea of how and with.
what speed this work can be done from
the following recent occurrence. ) IL
The United States government had fol
some time been trying to locate and place
behind the bars counterfeiter whose
work was executed so cleverly that large
amounts of the bogus coin were circula-
ting free through the country. One day
a reporter whose daily route was the
Jail and the police court, telephoned the
office that the authorities had just cap
ktured this counterfeiter and to send an
artist down to the Jail at once to make
a sketch of the man.. That was less than
two hours before the paper went to press.
s When the artist received the assignment
minute later, he dropped everything,
grabbed a piece of drawing paper and
started on a rush for the jail. Arriving
there, he entered small room opening
off the corridor, in which were a halr
dozen newspaper reporters, seated about
a table. The jailer went to the cell In
which the prisoner was locked and
brought him in to be interviewed by the
reporters. The instant the prisoner en-
tered the doorway, the artist hastily and
critically scanned his features. AS he
stood there the jaiier addressed him.
Jim, these are newspaper men, and
they wish to know if you have anything
to say . ~.
Il have no statement Whatever TO
make" said the prisoner.
well, questioned the jailer can you
not give these gentlemen some kind Of
statement to publish in the papers;
something as to whether you will en-
ploy lawyer Or not Or whether you
will plead guilty or not guilty?''
You will have to excuse me this morn
ing, gentlemen, I have nothing TO say
just now" murmured the prisoner, and
left the room. - l..I:> - T.: - - II :;
During the uttcrance of these few words
scarcely one minute had elapsed, yet
the artist, with his critical eye and light
ming manipulation of the pencil, had
sketched the prisoner picture. He hur-
ried back to the office and taking his
pen and ink, it required but few min
utes to work over the pencil sketch and
produce a perfect likeness of the prisoner
in a pen and ink sketch. -
The drawing was then sent to the photo
grapher in the engraving department. The
photographer placed it before the camera
and turned on a powerful arc light. While
the exposure was making, he flowed a
sheet of polished zinc with a sensitive
solution and placed it in dark room to
dry. The negative then was DEVELOPED
which occupied but three or four minutes,
a stripping solution was flowed over it
and the film was peeled from the glass.
reversed and replaced. I'll
That gave reversed negative and pre-
vented the picture from coming out back
ward when published. The sensitized
sheet of zinc being dry by that time was
placed in printing frame and over it
was placed the reversed negative. The
zinc was. exposed under this negative to
the rays of the sun, or those Of a power
full electric light, for four minutes. when
the imprint of the drawing was left on
the surface of the zinc. (. Sc. NJ Il.
The picture could not be seen. however.
and the zinc was as bright as piece Of
tin, nevertheless, the drawing was there.
The zinc then was rolled up with print
ers Ink. placed under a stream of r11n.