| 1800s Printing Processes
Woodcuts were produced in one of two
ways. Either from real life or from the artist's imagination. The papers
would usually send out a correspondent and an artist. One to write the
article and the other would illustrate it. The artist would sketch out
what he saw on paper. Then he would glue the drawing to 4" squares
of "box wood" then using engraving tools cut right thru the
art work and into the wood. He would have to engrave in reverse so it
would be right reading when it was printed. Most of the prints needed 6
or 8 blocks of wood 4"x4". They would then be pieced
together. This was done because the size the finished graphic was
so large. This same process was used when the artist made up the image
without ever seeing what he was illustrating, ie scenes of Salt Lake
City. Some took amazing and outrageous artistic liberties that are quite
amusing. They assumed that there readers would never see the real thing.
The copper and steel engravings were
usually made from early photographs and "tin types". Which are
much finer and realistic. This process was used mainly when engraving
portraits of individuals such as Brigham Young or other notables.
The lithographs (stone printing) were
almost always used when the graphic was to be in full color.
This process was expensive and labor intensive, and was used only on
very important subjects. It is amazing how many lithographs were
produced about the Church. |
