A NEW OR IMPROVED METHOD OF TINTING, BY LITHOGRAPHIC PRINTING, PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAITS PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Lewis Dixey, of 21, King's Road, Brighton, in the
County of Sussex, Optician, and George Smith, of Angmering, in the
County of Sussex, Artist, for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED
METHOD OF TINTING, BY LITHOGRAPHIC PRINTING, PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAITS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Lewis Dixey and George
Smith at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 20th September 1862.
We, LEWIS DIXEY, of 21, King's Road, Brighton, in the County of Sussex,
Optician, and GEORGE SMITH, of Anginering, in the said County of Sussex,
Artist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW OR IM-
PROVED METHOD OF TINTING, BY LITHOGRAPHIC PRINTING, PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAITS
AND BACK GROUNDS, AND EMBOSSING THE SAME," to be as follows:-
A photograph having been taken in the manner now in use, the same and
the background, or the background only, is then tinted by printing from a
lithographic stone, instead of the expensive operation of hand printing the
required tints; half tones and lights being stopped out on the photograph
instead of upon the stone, so reversing the manner now in use in lithographic
printing as regards half tones and lights by covering the photograph before

page_text: the tint is printed. The embossing is done by pressing upon the photograph
after tinting in the manner above mentioned, either by means of a common
press, or by milling, or cold rolling the same, so that the surface shall re-
semble drawing paper.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Lewis Dixey and George Smith in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 17th January 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, LEWIS
DIXEY, of 21, King's Road, Brighton, in the County of Sussex, Optician, and
GEORGE SMITII, of Angmering, in the County of Sussex, Artist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Lewis Dixey and George Smith, Her special licence that we,
the said Lewis Dixey and George Smith, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Lewis Dixey and George
Smith, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, nse,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for. "A NEW OR IM
PROVED METHOD OF TINTING, BY LITHOGRAPHIC PRINTING, PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAITS
AND BACK GROUNDS, AND EMBOSSING THE SAME," "pou the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Lewis Dixey and George Smith, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Lewis Dixey and George Smith, do
hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, that is to say :-
Having procured a good negative photograph in the usual manner, we
carefully block out the back ground with opaque colour or paper, in such

page_text: manner that the back ground shall not print, but remain on the printed
photograph white. After having procured a print off the negatives with a
white back ground after the manner described, we fix, tone, and wash in the
usual way with careful printing, and thus obtain a photograph ready for the
following tinting, embossing, and colouring :-First, lay the photograph upon
a flat board, and upon that a piece of tracing paper large enough to cover the
photograph, then with a lead pencil trace carefully the outline of the photo-
graph, which done, remove the tracing paper, and cut out the outline of the
photograph which we wish to preserve from the tint about to be applied, fix
this upon the photograph by a little gum, carefully registering the outline of
the photograph, for where this tracing paper does not cover there will be the
tinting, which was intended only for the back ground, and not for the portrait
or landscape photograph. This being done, the tint of the desired colour is
rolled on the lithographic stone and printed all over the photograph in the
usual way of lithographic printing; the tracing paper which was fixed to the
photograph having prevented the ink from touching the print may now be
removed with a damp sponge. We shall then have a photograph with an
evenly tinted back ground, and should we desire to give the print a tint all
over of any lighter colour, we print again with the lithographic press all over the
picture unprotected by the tracing paper, to which in some instances improves
the general tone of the photograph. Second, the photograph may now be
embossed to give it the appearance and advantages of drawing paper, which
is performed thus:-Damp the photograph between sonie sheets of wet blotting
paper, then lay it upon a block cut, engraved, or engine turned, of any design
you may please; but the simplest way is to lay it upon a fabric of silk or
alpaca, twill, or other fabric that has the resemblance of wire mark, such as
the drawing papers usually show impressions of, then put the paper and block
or fabric, the impression of which you wish to give the photograph, under a
lever or other press with several thickness of blotting paper next the photo-
graph between it and the press, submit it then to a severe pressure, and the
photograph will have the impression of the fabric or block used, and should
then have very much the appearance of a photograph taken upon drawing
paper with a fine even back ground tinted. Third, the photograph may now
be mounted on cardboard, and is then all that the artist employed to color it
can wish. The tinted back ground gives relief to the photograph, and the
embossed paper is a desideratum which cannot be too fully appreciated by
the artist; if skilfully coloured with water colours the photograph has the
appearance of a superior coloured drawing.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner

page_text: the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we claim
as the Invention whereof the exclusive use is intended to be secured by the
said Letters Patent is, the treatment of photographs as above described.
In witness whereof we, the said Lewis Dixey and George Smith,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Sixteenth day of January,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.