Improvements in and relating to Photo-chromographs.
Year: 1891

page_text: ate of Application, 4th Sept., 1891-Accepted, 31st Oct., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Photo-chromographs.
I, LUDWIG MEYER of 3 Cornelius Strasse, Berlin in the Kingdom of Prussia
and German Empire, Artist, 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 object of the present invention is the reproduction of oil paintings and
coloured pictures by the aid of photolithography in such a manner that whilst the
result is more true to the original, the reproduction is effected at a less cost than
by existing known processes, and is further, from an artistic view, very much in
advance of pictures produced by those processes and of photographs. This inven-
tion will also enable less gifted artists to produce pictures which cannot be easily
detected as different from real paintings.
According to this invention, the picture to be reproduced, for example an oil
painting from a public gallery, is first enlarged reduced or reproduced by ordinary
photography and any desired number of photolithographs are then reproduced
therefrom. Each of these photolithographs is then illuminated with oil colours,
the outlines and the chiaroscuro being produced by the photolithograph. The
picture thus illuminated, when thoroughly dry, is securely transferred or fixed
upon an artist's canvas or other suitable foundation with the oil colours next to
the foundation and the paper on which the photolithograph was printed is then
removed as in the case of ordinary transfer pictures.
If a picture with very high artistic finish is desired, it is, after having been
illuminated, retouched with oil colours by an efficient artist so as to obtain a more
harmonious blending of the various colours and shades.
It will be evident from this description, that the illuminating colours lie between
the canvas or other foundation and the shading of the photolithograph, which
circumstance shews at once that the difference between my new process and result
and those obtained by the ordinary methods of procedure. According to these
methods, the print or photograph forms the ground upon which the colours are
distributed, and a natural effect equal to a real painting is not produced because
the shading and outlines of the ground picture vanish and are lost through the use
of opaque colours. By my method on the contrary, every object bears its peculiar
colour upon which the shadows rest as in nature, and in a picture which is
supposed to represent nature, these conditions should not be reversed.
I am aware that a method is already known in which photography, illumination,
and photographic printing are employed, but in this process each individual
picture reproduced direct from a negative by a photoprinting process, no photo-
lithographic prints being employed. I desire it to be understood therefore that I
do not claim the process herein before described with reference to photographic
prints, but only with reference to mechanically printed photographs such as
photolithographs.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is-
The method or process for the reproduction of oil paintings and coloured
pictures substantially as hereinbefore described.
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.