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These
superb chromo-lithographs were created by J.W.
Frohawk - and . date from about 1870 when this printing
technique
was at its zenith. Chromolithography was invented in Europe but
perfected
in America by a German immigrant Louis Prang, a
skilled
engraver who emigrated in 1850 and set up the Ticonderoga Printing
company
in Boston. Today he is remembered as the 'father of the American
Christmas Card' and the Prang Company is still at the centre of
the art materials trade; Louis Prang also had a major influence on
Art-Education
in the USA. Chromolithography differs from half-tone illustration in using solid BLOCKS of colour; not broken up into tiny dots. The process is based on the fact that grease and water repel each other; and by drawing or painting onto smooth limestone blocks with grease-based pencils the process removed the need to actually engrave the block. When metal plates are engraved there is a noticeable loss of 'image sharpness' after as few as 50 prints are made. But since chromo-lithography did not involve cutting into the stone, many thousands of identical prints could be made, all of the same exact fine quality without any deterioration in sharpness. |
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