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Glossary of Printing Techniques
1. DAUMIER’S PRINTINGS
To see a video on the process of lithography go to YOUTUBE
Lithographic process The process of lithography involves several steps: First, the drawing is executed onto a lithographic stone. Then, one to three copies are printed on silky white paper or on ivory paper. These prints are called “avant la lettre” (“before the letter”, before text, or artist’s proof). These were the ones most sought after by Daumier’s friends and collectors. If the proof was satisfactory, the “lettre” was added: the caption, the title, the number of the print etc.
Printing, paper qualities A series was then printed on thick white paper. These proofs were called “sur blanc” and were sold either individually or bound together as an album for collectors and subscribers. Passeron, in his 1968 exhibition in Blois, France, estimates that approximately 50 prints on sur blanc (wove paper) were carefully printed separately to appear apart from the newsprint as special editions or single collectors’ copies. The sur blanc is usually of a far better quality than newsprint. On very rare occasion, the printer used China paper. These extremely delicate prints were beautifully executed in very small numbers. Nearly all of them were mounted on wove paper to give the thin China paper a better support. All of these prints are considered very rare.
Newspaper print After these preliminary prints, the stone was used to print the 2-3’000 copies for the newspaper edition. For more exact information on the quantities sold, please consult the newsprint section of this website, where information about the CHARIVARI is covered.
Test proofs, Copyright, Censor Once the censorship system was introduced, the "avant la lettre" print was replaced by two or three copies on fine paper (“papier mince”), the so-called “test proofs”. One of them was sent to the copyright office, another one to the censor (once the text had been added), and the third one remained with the printer. The censor usually approved or disapproved of the text within the same day (by writing “oui” or “non” on the proof) , after which the printer gave his approval in handwriting and filed it (for later reference in case he had to prove that it had passed the censor). Each approved lithograph was then registered individually in log-books, with a registration number, date of deposition, title and, if available, name of publisher and artist. Only then the printing process could begin. (Pierre Cabanne, Vilo 1999). We are showing various proofs, avant la lettre prints, and prints with handwritten captions by Daumier or the texter in the DAUMIER REGISTER ©, the digital Daumier work catalogue on the Internet.
In general it may be assumed that the majority of Daumier’s prints were executed as follows:
Topics and captions According to research by Adhémar, the topics to be treated in the day's print were usually suggested to Daumier by an editorial board which met in the morning to discuss the political situation of the day. They agreed on the theme to be illustrated by the artists. We know that in the case of Daumier, Vernier and Gavarni this procedure was more or less strictly adhered to, while Cham on the other hand was responsible himself for the artistic ideas as well as for the captions of the lithographs he supplied to the paper. Unlike Cham, who wrote his own texts, Daumier almost never supplied the caption himself. This work was usually done by the writers in Aubert’s printing shop. We have indication about one of these journalists, Albert Wolf, who received 5 francs for each text, however we also found lower salaries paid to other writers. Other important text writers were the journalists Biais, Cler and Jaime. In the DAUMIER REGISTER © we show photographs of various proofs, avant la lettre prints, and prints with handwritten captions by Daumier or the caption writer.
It sometimes happened that several artists supplied similar lithographs on the same political theme. The editor in chief would then decide which print was to be published. The ones not used were set aside for publication at a later date. This explains why some early numbers on lithographic stones appeared months later, sometimes in a different context.
Lithographic stones The stones were delivered to the artist on a weekly basis. The artist then made his drawings onto the stone and numbered the stones (most of them) for reference purposes. Unfortunately, the numbering of the stones was sometimes inconsistent. It does however allow us in most cases to understand around which date a drawing was made, independently of its actual publication date, and to what series it might initially have belonged to. Once the stones were used, the drawing was erased and the stone could be used again.
Text editing Once the a stone was selected for publication, a few trials proofs (sur blanc) were made and forwarded to the text editors (like Jaime, Biais, Albert Cler etc). These journalist would sometimes write the text on the front or back page or add a handwritten note on a piece of paper, which would be attached to the print. Sometimes the artists were able to do their own correction of the prints and a correspondence emanated between editor and artist, showing crossed out first proposals, counterproposals and correction.
Once the text was agreed upon, two or three trial proof copies with text were printed (sur blanc), and at least two were sent to the censor for approval.(except before 1835 and between 1848 and 1852). The printer would sign a copy stating that the print is conform. The censor’s office was staffed with civil servants, who in case of doubt had get approval by their head of department at the ministry of the interior. Some of these rare prints can be seen in the DAUMIER REGISTER ©, the digital Daumier work catalogue on the Internet. If the censor did not agree with the caption, the print was sent back and the editor was allowed to change the text and re-submit the print. If the print was rejected, it was (irregularly) filed by the censor in a register. However most of these prints have been destroyed.
Legal depot Once a print was accepted, a copy of it was entered in the “depot legal” and each approved lithograph was registered with a number, deposition date, title, name of the publisher and artist. During the period of the Second Empire, when censorship did not exist, the prints were immediately printed on newspaper sheets, which already held the Government’s tax stamp.
Above two images courtesy of GreatCaricatures.com
Charivari The format of the Charivari usually consisted of four pages: The front page showed a political essay by one of the paper’s editors. The second page covered local topics. The third page was always reserved for the caricature, and once the format was increased, the text from the first page was continued on the lower third of the third page. The last page was either fully or partially used for advertisement.
The initial subscription price for the Charivari amounted to 72 francs per year for subscribers in the Paris area, while ten years later the price had dropped to 60 francs. It took many years until the paper was finally available in grocers shops, in the beginning one could only subscribe to it or read it in public reading rooms. The readers came mainly from the middle class bourgeoisie.
Censorship We can estimate that about half a percent to one percent of Daumier prints have been censored. One must also remember that after the text had been rejected by the censor, the printer had the right, to change it in such a way that no infringement would take place. The print would thus appear with an “adjusted” text, acceptable to the regime.
The entire period of censorship can be divided into various sections:
It is often assumed that the stamps (timbre Royal) visible on prints by Daumier are censorship approval stamps. It should be remembered however that the censorship question of a print had already been cleared before it’s publication. The censor had previously seen and rejected or approved the print. In both cases the prints were registered at the depot legal for future reference.
Stamp tax Papers containing political lithographs or engravings were subject to a stamp tax. This implied that the paper had to be printed on stamped, government approved paper ONLY. (art 6-13). Some of these stamps periodically even showed the value of the stamp. One can understand this also as some kind of censorship, since the government would tax each edition, thus knowing the exact numbers of issues distributed by the publishing house. Apart from this tax the editor had to supply a high bond BEFORE he was allowed to start publishing. The bond served as a guarantee and was confiscated by the Government in case of infringements and non compliance.
Over the period of changing forms of Government the “Timbre Royal” was renamed “Timbre National” and later abolished when a new tax on advertisement appeared.
Daumier’s colleagues These artists worked during Daumier’s time at Aubert publishing company: J.A. Baric E. de Beaumont Bertall (A d’Arnoux) Cham ( Amédée de Noé) A.H.Darjou Gustave Doré Draner (J.Renard) Gavarni (S.H.G. Chevalier) Gill ( A.G. de Guines) Grandville ( J.I.I.Gérare A.Grévin White (P.Hadol) A.Lepetit H.B.Monnier Leeroy (V.A.Morland) J.Pelcoq E.J.Pigal D.A.Raffet Radonensberg (J.Radon) Stop (P.G.B.L. Morel-Retz) C.J.Traviès C. Vernier
Print by HADOL (Charivari of January 2, 1867): Daumier and his colleagues at the Charivari. The title of the caricature is "Carte de Visite du Charivari". Daumier is in the first row, second from left.
2. GENERAL INFORMATION ON LITHOGRAPHY
The draft is drawn directly to the polished, or grained, flat surface of a lithographic stone, (in the beginning on Bavarian limestone) with a greasy crayon or sharp feather and ink. It is then chemically fixed with a weak solution of acid and gum Arabic. In printing, the stone is flooded with water, which is absorbed everywhere except where repelled by the greasy ink. Oil-based printer's ink is then rolled on the stone, which in turn is repelled by the water soaked areas and accepted only by the drawing. A piece of paper is laid on the stone and it is run through the press with light pressure. The final print shows neither a raised nor embossed quality but lies entirely on the surface of the paper. The design may be divided among several stones, properly registered, to produce through multiple printings a lithograph in more than one color.
A transfer lithograph (French: “autographie”) uses the same technique, but the design is drawn on specially prepared transfer paper with a lithographic crayon and is later mechanically transferred to the stone.
A zincography is the same as a lithograph, but using a zinc plate instead of a stone.
Here is an example of a lithographic stone: This stone is part of a private collection in Switzerland. The previous owner was Z. Bruck. The stone is registered by L. Delteil under Nr 3247. It was used for print in “Le Boulevard” in 1862, and for the special edition of “Souvenirs d’Artistes”, a large size sheet with sur blanc prints.
The size of this lithographic stone is 27,7 x 33 cm x 3,5 cm.
For more information on "Lithography" go to WIKIPEDIA
3. GILLOTAGE
The common name used for this process was “Gillotage” or “Paniconography”. This new system made it possible to engrave any type of drawing, text included, on a zinc plate by use of a fatty ink. An acid was then added to the parts not covered by ink. The resulting zinc relief could be used almost infinitely.
This procedure practically represents the basis of modern photogravure, which started to be successful around the same time. Obviously, the production costs were reduced considerably with this new process. About 270 prints by Daumier were produced in this method. They appeared mainly in the Journal Amusant ( 1864-66) and in the Charivari ( 1870-1872).
Daumier never drew on a zinc plate, but on a lithographic stone. From the stone, a lithographic proof was produced. Usually a handwritten text was added on a separate piece of paper for the printer.
Once the text was approved, the cliché for the zincography was composed. Finally the zincography or gillotage was produced.
The difference in quality between a lithograph and a gillotage can be quite amazing: DR 3925 by Daumier is here shown as a lithographic proof sample
and in the following picture as a gillotage
In most zincographies the printers placed their marks onto the print (see picture). However where this is missing, it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish between lithograph or zincography. When looking at our example given above, the distinction becomes apparent: a lithography will always be more clear and direct, while a gillotage loses the half tones and details supplied by the stone lithography.
With the development of photolito, the perception changed entirely and a new chapter in printing took its course……
4. DAUMIER'S WOOD ENGRAVINGS
To see a video on the process of wood engravings go to YOUTUBE
DAUMIER disliked wood-engraving. As practiced during his lifetime, it was frankly and simply a reproductive process: the artist drew on a wood block: skilled technicians, by cutting away with exquisite care a thin layer of wood around and between the penciled lines, put the drawing into relief, so that it could be printed.
The concept of an artist using wood-engraving as a creative medium, and cutting the block with his own hands, did not come into general practice until years later. Theodore de Banville tells in his Souvenirs (Paris, 1883) of this hatred of Daumier's for wood-engraving: "He said that he was tired and bored with drawing on wood, and wanted to have nothing more to do with it, that the lithographic crayon alone followed his thoughts, while the lead pencil was stubborn and wouldn't obey him; that finally he had come to look with horror upon this kind of drawing, where nine times out of ten one is betrayed and dishonored by the engraver."
Yet some of Daumier's finest drawings were made on wood. They now exist in no other form than impressions taken from the engraved block, so that we are forced to consider the vignettes as originals, once removed from Daumier. We regret, with Daumier, the inefficiency of wood-engraving as a reproductive process. But it was the only way by which drawings could be printed together with type until photo-engraving was perfected at the end of the century.
The vastly superior process of lithography required a different kind of press than that used for type, and thus books illustrated with lithographs were much more expensive to produce than those which contained wood-engravings. Towards the end of his life Daumier became much interested in a crude form of photo-engraving, Gillotype, and seemed to revel in the camera's precision, for the illustrations so reproduced are among the most freely drawn of his mature style.
Were Daumier working today, undoubtedly his drawings would be reproduced by the perfected photomechanical process used for reproducing newspaper caricatures, and they would be appreciated as drawings, not as photo-engravings. In the same way the illustrations which he made for books were appreciated in their day as drawings, and not as wood-engravings. That is how Baudelaire looked at them. In his “Curiosites esthétiques” (Paris, Calmann-Levy, 1928) he wrote: "Daumier scattered his talent in a thousand directions. Commissioned to illustrate a rather poor medico-poetic publication, the “Némésis médicale” [by François Fabre, Paris 1840], he made some superb drawings”.
In all, Daumier did about a thousand illustrations on wood; most of them appeared, usually with the work of other artists, in little pocketsize essays with titles containing the words "Physiology" or "Physiognomy," and which to judge from their number, must have been very popular in the 1840s.
They were serio-comical studies, documentary in a sense, of Parisian types, customs and manners; among the subjects treated we find Parisian cafes, school boys, rich men, lawyers, doctors, musicians, poets, tailors, money-lenders, old maids, hunters and lovers. The most ambitious illustrated book of the period, “Les Français peints par eux-memes”, is virtually but a col-lection of similar booklets, published in 422 installments, and forming eight volumes, which were brought to nine by the supplementary “Le Prisme”. It is attractive to see in this type of illustrated book, with its emphasis on people and their activities, the forerunner of the picture magazine, which has taken so important a place in modern journalism; and it will not be overlooked that in 1843 the magazine “L'Illustration” was founded.
Yet interesting as these publications are to the social historian, the majority have but slight literary or artistic value, and would be forgotten were it not for the fact that some of them were illustrated by Gavarni, Daumier, Grandville (that almost forgotten artist, admired - so the rumor goes -by Walt Disney) and a host of lesser names. (Beaumont Newhall Source: Parnassus, Vol. 10, No. 5, Oct., 1938, pp. 12-13; 32).
5. GLOSSARY OF FINE ART TERMINOLOGY
The Museum of Modern Art in New York gives an excellent introduction to printing techniques.Click here to see the short slide show. (opens in a new window)
Three Major Print-Making Processes Intaglio - The process of incising a design beneath the surface of hard metal or stone. Plates are inked only in the etched depressions on the plates and then the plate surface is wiped clean. The ink is then transferred onto the paper through an etching press. The printing is done with a plate bearing an image in intaglio and includes all metal-plate etching and engraving processes. The reverse of this process is known as relief printing.
Planographic - The process to print impressions from a smooth surface rather than from creating incised or relief areas on the plate. The term was devised to describe lithography.
Relief - All printing processes in which the non-printing areas of the block or plate are carved, engraved, or etched away. Inks are applied onto the protected surface and transferred onto the paper. The reverse process is known as intaglio printing.
Common Print-Making Technologies Aquatint - Printing technique capable of producing unlimited tonal gradations to re-create the broad flat tints of ink wash or watercolor drawings by etching microscopic crackles and pits into the image on a master plate, typically made of copper or zinc. The majority of Spanish artist Goya's (1746-1828) graphic works were done using this technique.
Blind - Printing using an un-inked plate to produce the subtle embossed texture of a white-on-white image, highlighted by the shadow of the relief image on the un-inked paper. This technique is used in many Japanese prints.
Collagraph - Printing technique in which proofs are pulled from a block on which the artwork or design is built up like a collage, creating a relief.
Drypoint - Printing technique of intaglio, engraving in which a hard, steel needle incises lines on a metal plate, creating a burr that yields a characteristically soft and velvety line in the final print.
Engraving - Printing technique in which an intaglio image is produced by cutting a metal plate or box directly with a sharp engraving tool. The incised lines are inked and printed with heavy pressure.
Etching - Printing technique in which a metal plate is first covered with an acid-resistant material, then worked with an etching needle to create an intaglio image. The exposed met-al is eaten away in an acid bath, creating depressed lines that are later inked for printing. This technique was thought re-, have been developed by Daniel Hopfer (1493-1536). Etching surpassed engraving as the most popular graphic art during the active years of Rembrandt and Hercules Segher in the 17th century, and it remains one of the most versatile and subtle printing techniques today.
Iris or Giclée - A computerized reproduction technique in which the image and topology are generated from a digital file and printed by a special ink let printer, using ink, acrylic or oil paints. Giclée printing offers one of the highest degree of accuracy and richness of color available in any reproduction techniques.
Linocut is printed from linoleum, usually backed with wood for reinforcement. The printed surface has less texture than in a woodcut because of the supple nature of linoleum. The material takes all types of lines, but is most suited to large designs with contrasting tints.
Lithography - Printing technique using a planographic process in which prints are pulled on a special press from a flat stone or metal surface that has been chemically sensitized so that- ink sticks only to the design areas, and is repelled by the non-image areas. Lithography was invented in 1798 in Solnhofen, Germany by Alois Senefelder. The early history of lithography is dominated by great French artists such as Daumier and Delacroix, and later by Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, Braque and Miró.
Mezzotint - (mezzo= half ; tinta= tone), a reverse engraving process used on a copper or steel plate to produce illustrations in relief with effects of light and shadow. The surface of a master plate is roughened with a tool called a rocker so that if inked, it will print solid black. The areas to be white or gray in the print are rubbed down so as nor to take ink. It was widely used in the 18th and 19th centuries to reproduce portraits and other paintings, but became obsolete with the introduction of photo-engraving.
Monotype - One-of-a-kind print made by painting on a sheet of metal or glass and transferring the still-wet painting to a sheet of paper by hand or with an etching press. If enough paint remains on the master plate, additional prints can be made, however, the reprint will have substantial variations from the original Image. Monotype printing is not a multiple-replica process since each print is unique.
Offset Lithography - A special photo-mechanical technique in which the image to be printed is transferred to the negative plates and printed onto papers. Offset lithography is very well adapted to color printing.
Serigraphy (Silkscreen) - A printing technique that makes use of a squeegee to force ink directly on to a piece of paper or canvas through a stencil creating an image on a screen of silk or other fine fabric with an impermeable substance. Serigraphy differs from most other printing in that its color areas are paint films rather than printing-ink stains.
Woodcut - Printing technique in which the printing surface has been carved from a block of wood. The traditional wood block is seasoned hardwood such as apple, beech, or sycamore. A modern trend, however, is to use more inexpensive and easily attainable soft woods such as pine. Woodcut is one of the oldest forms of printing. It was first used by the Chinese in the 12th century and later in Europe toward the end of the 14th century.
In the picture you can see a wood block, belonging to a private collection in Switzerland. It is a drawing by Daumier entitled “Au buffet de l’Exposition des Beaux-Arts: Amour de l’Art et de la Côtelette” of June 20, 1868, for « Le Monde Illustré ».
Wood Engraving is made from the end-grain surface of blocks. This surface has no grain and can afford great precision and detail.
Common Art Print Terms Acid-free Paper or Canvas - Paper or canvas treated to neutralize its natural acidity in order to protect fine are: and photographic prints from discoloration and deterioration.
Canvas Transfer - Art reproduction on canvas which is created by a process such as serigraphy, photomechanical, or giclee printing. Some processes can even recreate the texture, brush strokes, and aged appearance of the original work of art.
Color-variant Suite - A set of identical prints in different color schemes.
Impression - Fine art made by any printing or stamping process.
Limited Edition - Set of identical prints numbered in succession and signed by the artist. The total number of prints is fixed or "limited" by the artist who supervises the printing him(her)self. All additional prints have been destroyed.
Monoprint - One-of-a-kind print conceived by the artist and printed by or under the artist's supervision.
Montage (Collage) - An artwork comprising of portions of various existing images such as from photographs or prints, and arranged so that they join, overlap, or blend to create a new image.
Multiple Originals - A set of identical fine prints in which the artist personally conceived the image, created the master plates, and executed or supervised the entire printing process. Example: etching.
Multiple Reproductions - A set of identical fine prints reproducing the image of an original artwork created by a non-printing process. Example: serigraph of an oil on canvas.
Open Edition - A series of prints or objects in an art edition that has an unlimited number of copies. Original print - One-of-a-kind print in which the artist personally conceived the image, created the master plates, and executed the entire printing process.
Provenance - Record of ownership for a work of art, ideally from the time it- left the artist's studio to its present location, thus creating an unbroken ownership history.
Remarque - Small sketch in the margin of an art print or additional enhancements by the artist on some or all of the final prints within an edition.
Restrike - Additional prints made from a master plate, block, lithographic stone, etc. after the original edition has been exhausted.
Print Types Proofs are prints authorized by the artist in addition to the limited signed and numbered edition. The total size of an art edition consists of the signed and numbered prints plus all outstanding proofs. If a set of proofs consists of more than one print, numbers are inscribed to indicate the number of the prints within the total number of the particular type of proof, (e,g., AP 5/20 means the fifth print in a set of 20 identical. prints authorized as artist's proofs). Proofs are generally signed by the artist as validation of the prints.
Artist's proof - Print intended for the artist's personal use. It is a common practice to reserve approximately ten percent of an edition as artist's proofs, although this figure can be higher. The artist's proof is sometimes referred to by its French name, épreuve d'artiste (abbreviated E.A.). Artist's proofs can be distinguished by the abbreviation AP or E.A., commonly on the lower left corner of the work.
Cancellation proof - Final print made once an edition series has been finished to show that the plate has been marred/mutilated by the artist, and will never be used again to make more prints of the edition.
Hors Commerce Proof - Print identical to the edition print intended to be used as samples to show to dealers and galleries. Hors Commerce (abbreviated H.C.) proofs may or may not be signed by the artist.
Printer's proof - Print retained by the printer as a reference. Artists often sign these prints as a gesture of appreciation.
Trial proof - Pre-cursor to a limited edition series, these initial prints are pulled so that the artist may examine, refine, and perfect the prints to the desired final state. Trial proofs are generally not signed.
Common Abbreviations used in Art 2nd ed - Second edition: prints of the same image as the original edition but altered in some way (as in change of color, paper, or printing process).
2nd st. - Second state. prints of proofs which contain significant changes from the original print.
AP - Artist's proof.
Del - (Latin, deleavit) He (she) drew it. Generally inscribed next to the artist's signature.
E.A. - (French, épreuve d'artiste) An artist's proof.
Exe or Imp - (Latin, excudit) He (she) executed it. The meaning is synonymous with (Latin, impressit) he(she) printed it.
H.C. - (French, hors commerce) Prints from an edition intended to be used as samples to show to dealers and galleries.
Inc. or Sculp - (Latin, incidit) He(she) cut it. The meaning is synonymous with (Latin, impressit) he(she) carved it. These abbreviations refer to the individuals who engraved the master plate.
Inv, or Invent - (Latin, invenit) He(she) designed it. Generally inscribed next to the artist's signature.
Lith. or Lithe - "Lithographed By". Usually follows the name of the printer of the lithograph.
Pinx. - (Latin, pinxit) He(she) painted it. Generally inscribed next to the artist's signature.
PP - Printer's proof .
TP - Trial proof.
Photographic Terms Albumen - The most popular photographic print f~rom 1855 to 1890. Albumen positive prints are made on paper coated with frothy egg white and salt solution and sensitized with silver nitrate solution. The print is then finalized by exposure to sunlight through a negative.
Carbon Print - The first permanent photographic printing process used between 1866 to 1890. Made in three different tones: black, purple-brown, sepia. It is made by using 3 layers of stable pigment in registration on top of each other and requires a minimum of 12 hours to create a single print. Carbon prints are highly sought after and rare.
Cibachrome - A positive print process known for its sharpness, rich color saturation, and permanence. Unless interpositives are made, these prints are made from slides and transparencies, never from color negatives.
Daguerreotype - The first practical photo process invented in 1838 in which an image was formed on a copper plate coated with highly polished silver. Following exposure, the image is developed in mercury vapor, resulting in a unique image on metal that cannot be used as a negative for replication.
Dye Transfer - A high-quality color photographic printing technique involving the transfer of dyes from three separately prepared images onto a single sheet of paper in exact registration. Though costly, this process produces prints with sharp registration, rich color saturation and great longevity.
Evercolor Pigment Transfer - developed by Evercolor using four layers of separate color transfer, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, in registration to create prints. This very costly process creates very realistic and sharp images which attain three dimensional quality when displayed. Prints done in this process are highly sought after and rare.
Fujicolor Print - Developed by Fuji Film of Japan, Fujicolor prints have the best color gamut and extreme longevity. It was developed originally for 1 hour processing. When used with the light jet printer, this process achieves amazing color saturation, contrast control and extreme sharpness.
Photogravure (Gravure) - Started around 1879, a print process using copper plates. The plate is sometimes chrome plated to insure sharpness and continuous tones throughout the edition. This is a very complex and exacting photo process which produces great longevity.
Photomontage - A composite image made by joining together portions (or all) of more than one photograph to synthesize a unique image.
Plate - Usually a glass or metal sheer coated with light-sensitive emulsion that: is intended to receive the image through the aperture of the lens of a camera when inserted into the camera.
Platinum Print (Platinotype) - A print formed by exposing a negative in contact with payer that has been sensitised with iron salts and a platinum compound. This process is highly prized for its unique cones, high color saturation, exceptional details and beautiful papers. It is a highly permanent and costly process.
Silver Gelatine - A high-quality, black-and-white photographic printing technique in which a natural protein is used as a transparent medium to hold light-sensitive silver halide crystals in suspension, binding them to the printing paper or film, yet allowing for penetration of processing solutions. Made famous by photographers like Weston and Adams, these prints require incredible skill to achieve the rich black and white contrasts while maintaining the subtle grey tones and amazing details throughout the image. Popular from 1920s to present.
Other Terms Holograph - Holograph comes from the Greek words "holo", meaning whole and "graph", meaning message. The combination means "the whole message" which is exactly what the holograph gives the viewer. A Holograph is a "reflective holograph" requiring only an ordinary uncoated light bulb on one side of the film plate to become a magical window displaying three dimensional visions of objects. These objects shift position and perspective exactly as they would if they were really there, where they only appear to be. (Glossary of fine art terminology: With kind permission of HERNDON FINE ART, Albuquerque, New Mexico)
For more information on "printing technology" go to WIKIPEDIA
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FIRMIN GILLOT (Brou 1820-Paris 1872) received his patent for “zincography” on March 21,1850. To honor the significance of this inventor, the former rue de la Grotte in Paris was named after Firmin Gillot in 1951 by Pierre de Gaulle.
It is quite important to make a distinction between the “original” lithographs, drawn from the soft stone, and the “gillotage” produced by Gillot, Marchandeau, Yves et Barret, and Lefman. Some of the prints have been signed by their printers accordingly:
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