Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd. Jan., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 26th Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 9th Nov., 1888
A communication from abroad by JOHN WILLIAM CHARLES COVEN SCHIRM, of
Breslau, Silesia, in the Empire of Germany, Professor & Landscape Painter.
:
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S. M.I.M.E. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors 6 Lord Street, Liverpool and 6, Bank Street Manchester, both
in the County of Lancaster, and 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The invention relates to the reproduction, on a dark ground of any kind of paintings,
drawings, or objects by a photo-mechanical process. By this invention, not only may
works of art produced on Limoges enamel (white on a dark blue ground) be imitated
in a most perfect manner but also any image in any other light colour on a darker
ground of the same or any other colour may be produced; further, the invention is
not applicable only to enamel or glass plates, but also to any other surface of suitable
material, such as sheet-metal, wood, paper and the like. The new method is based
upon the use of gelatine, made sensitive by chromates, or of other suitable sensitive
rešinous substance or collodion.
The use of such sensitive substances for photographic productions in general, is
known and employed in a variety of ways. But all the methods, hitherto practised
in photography, such as by the use of carbon or asphalt, pouncing and substitution
(stippling or transferring) have been exclusively limited to reproducing the original
in dark shades or lines, on a light ground, the shades being produced by applying a
more or less dark covering or coating, while the light tints, or white lines and parts
of the image are formed by the uncovered light ground of the surface or bed. The
enamel of Limoges, on the contrary, differs from all these methods of reproduction
by the particular feature, that the lights are produced by covering more or less the

page_text: dark ground with a light colour of a suitable shade, the shades of the image being
thus produced by the uncovered dark ground, or by the transparent or semi-trans-
parent coating of light colour covering the dark ground.
It is alone to this particularity of the enamel of Limoges, to which it owes its high
standing in the estimation of the art; and, in consequence
skilled hands being
hitherto employed in its manufacture it would not be introduced into general use and
sold at a moderate price. No photographic or other method was, hitherto known, of
producing in a satisfactory and cheaper way the particular features of the said highly
appreciated enamel.
By this invention, imitations of the said articles of art may be accomplished by
means of a photo-mechanical process, and works of art can be supplied to the general
public readily and at a moderate rate for decorative and other purposes.
This improved
method, besides its simplicity and cheapness, offers the great advantage of equalling
the appreciated and characteristic enamel of Limoges up to a high perfection
of art. By the aid of the invention, any image, picture, drawing, or photograph
of any size may be reproduced in the manner characteristic to Limoges enamel, and
strikingly resembling it; besides, a great variety may be obtained by varying the
covering colour, and the colour of the ground.
In carrying the invention into practice, a powder of any suitable light, opaque
colour, resistant to the further treatment, is mixed in suitable proportions with a solu-
tion of sensitive gelatine, albumen, gum, asphalt, or other similar substance, this
mixture is spread upon a sheet of paper, linen, or other suitable bed or surface, which
must readily imbibe the solvent to be applied as further described. The covering or
coating having been allowed to dry in a dark room, it is exposed subsequently to the
light under a transparent positive, whereupon the sheet of paper, linen or fabrics,
after being soaked for a short time with cold water, is laid and applied with its coated
surface downwards on the dark coloured object or article, upon which the image is to
be transferred. The coat is then treated with warm water, till, after removing the
bed of paper, linen or fabrics, the parts representing the lighter shades are dissolved
and the dark ground more or less appears, thus developing the image, ornament or
picture. In using a coating of asphaltum or other sensitive resinous substance, the
image is developed by means of another suitable solvent. The image thus developed
is then dried and fixed by a suitable varnish.
Dated this 21st day of January 1888

page_text: A communication from abroad by JOHN WILLIAM CHARLES COVEN SCHIRM, of
Breslau, Silesia, in the Empire of Germany, Professor and Landscape Painter."
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both in
the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
The invention relates to the reproduction, on a dark ground of any kind of paintings,
drawings, or objects, by a photo-mechanical process. By this invention, not only
may works of art produced on Limoges enamel (white on a dark blue ground) be
imitated in a most perfect manner, but also any image in any other light colour on a
darker ground of the same or any other colour may be produced; further, the inven-
tion is not applicable only to enamel or glass plates, but also to any other surface of
suitable material, such as sheet-metal, wood, paper and the like. The new method is
based upon the use of gelatine, made sensitive by chromates, or of other suitable
sensitive resinous substance or collodion.
The use of such sensitive substances for photographic productions in general, is
known and employed in a variety of ways. But all the methods, hitherto practised
in photography, such as by the use of carbon or asphalt, pouncing and substitution
(stippling or transferring) have been exclusively limited to reproducing the original
in dark shades or lines, on a light ground, the shades being produced by applying a
more or less dark covering or coating, while the light tints, or white lines and parts of
the image are formed by the uncovered light ground of the surface or bed. The
enamel of Limoges, on the contrary, differs from all these methods of reproduction by
the particular feature, that the lights are produced by covering more or less the dark
ground with a light colour of a suitable shade, the shades of the image being thus
produced by the uncovered dark ground, or by the transparent or semi-transparent
coating of light colour covering the dark ground.
It is alone to this particularity of the enamel of Limoges, to which it owes its high
standing in the estimation of the art; and, in consequence of skilled hands being
hitherto employed in its manufacture, it could not be introduced into general use and
sold at a moderate price. No photographic or other method was, hitherto, known of
producing in a satisfactory and cheaper way, the particular features of the said highly
appreciated enamel.

page_text: By this invention, imitations of the said articles of art may be accomplished by
means of a photo-mechanical process, and works of art can be supplied to the general
public readily, and at a moderate rate, for decorative and other purposes. This
improved method, besides its simplicity and cheapness, offers the great advantage of
equalling the appreciated and characteristic enamel of Limoges up to a high perfection
of art. By the aid of the invention, any image, picture, drawing, or photograph of
any size may be reproduced in the manner characteristic of Limoges enamel, and
strikingly resembling it; besides, a great variety may be obtained by varying the
covering colour, and the colour of the ground.
In carrying the invention into practice, a powder of any suitable light, opaque
colour, resistant to the further treatment, is mixed in suitable proportions with a
solution of sensitive gelatine, albumen, gun, asphalt, or other similar substance, this
mixture is spread upon a sheet of paper, linen, or other suitable bed or surface, which
must readily imbibe the solvent to be applied as further described. The covering or
coating having been allowed to dry in a dark room, it is exposed subsequently to the
light under a transparent positive, whereupon the sheet of paper, linen, or fabrics,
after having been soaked for a short time with cold water, is laid and applied with its
coated surface downwards on the dark coloured object or article, upon which the image
is to be transferred. The coat is then treated with warm water till, after removing
the bed of paper, linen, or fabrics, the parts representing the lighter shades are
dissolved, and the dark ground more or less appears, thus developing the images,
ornament or picture. In using a coating of asphaltum or other sensitive resinous
substance, the image is developed by means of another suitable solvent. The image
thus developed is then dried and fixed by a suitable varnish.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
The method of reproducing paintings, drawings, or objects of any kind in the
manner characteristic of Limoges enamel, (light on a dark ground) upon any suitable
material, said method consisting in preparing on a permeable sheet or bed a soluble
covering or coating of a sensitive, light-coloured mass, exposing said covering or
coating to light through a transparent positive, containing the image to be reproduced,
applying said covering to the dark coloured object, on which the image is to be fixed,
and removing the covering from the unlighted parts, by means of a solvent, whereby
the image is developed on a dark ground with light coloured lines and lights superposed,
substantially as described.
Dated this 25th day of Sontember 1888
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.