CHAPTER VIII.

PROVING AND PRINTING.

85. =Wax Proofs.=--Our first desire, after the ground has been removed from the plate, is to see a proof. If you have no press, and yet desire to take proofs of your work after each biting, you may employ the following process to good advantage:--

Take a sheet of very thin paper, a little larger than your plate, and cover it with a thin layer of melted wax. The latter must be real white wax. Then sprinkle a little lamp-black on your engraved plate, and distribute it with your finger, so as to rub it into the lines; clean the surface of the plate by carefully passing the palm of your hand over it. Now lay the sheet of paper on the plate, with its waxed surface down, and be sure to turn the edges of the paper over on the back of the plate, so as to prevent its moving; then rub with the burnisher in all directions. The lamp-black sticks to the wax, and is sure to give an approximate image, sufficient to guide you in the further prosecution of your work, if that should be necessary.[20]

86. =The Printing-Press.=--These proofs, however, as well as those which were hurriedly printed for you so far, give only a mere idea of your work, without conveying its full meaning. If you desire to become acquainted with all the resources of the printing-press, you will have to go to a plate printer. It is well worth your while to acquire this knowledge, also, after you have familiarized yourself with the various processes at the command of the etcher.

Here, then, is the printer at his press: at his side there is a box made of sheet-iron, enclosing a chafing-dish; there are also printing-ink, a ball for inking, rags, and paper.[21] He is about to explain the use made of these things to our young student, who delivers his plate to him, and is anxious to be instructed in all that relates to the taking of impressions.

87. =Natural Printing.=--The printer now begins his explanations as follows:--

I place the plate on the sheet-iron box (the plate-warmer); it there acquires the necessary degree of heat, and I then spread the printing ink over it by means of this ball; the ink penetrates into the lines, and completely covers the whole surface of the plate; I remove the excess of ink with a coarse muslin rag, precisely as this is done in all other kinds of plate printing; I now clean the plate with the palm of my hand, so that no ink is left on it anywhere but in the lines; I finally wipe the margins of the plate evenly, so as to leave a delicate tint on the etched part only, and then I put the plate into the press. The plate is laid on the travelling-board or bed of the press, which runs between two cylinders of iron or hard wood; on the plate I lay a piece of paper, slightly moistened, and I cover the whole with several thicknesses of flannel; I turn the wheel of the press, and the cylinders, turning on themselves, carry along the travelling-board, which, in passing between them, is subjected to great pressure. The paper is thus pressed into the lines on the plate, and this process is facilitated by the elasticity of the flannel. You see now that your plate has come out on the other side of the rollers (or cylinders): we have given the press only one turn, although, as a rule, the plate is passed through the press twice, by making it travel back again under the rollers. This imparts strength to the impression; but occasionally the lines are not rendered as delicately and with as much precision, as with only one turn. I remove the flannel, and very carefully lift the paper; it has absorbed the ink: we have before us a _natural proof_, which shows the exact state of the plate (see Pl. I.). Line-engravings are printed in the same manner; with this difference, however, that the tint, more or less apparent, which is preserved on an etching, is not allowed to remain on a plate engraved with the burin.

88. =Artificial Printing.=--The printing of etchings very frequently differs from the simple method just described. It must be varied according to the style of execution adopted by the etcher; and, as much of the harmony of the plate may depend upon it, it sometimes rises to the dignity of an art, in which the artist and the printer are merged into each other,--the printer losing himself in the artist, as he is compelled to enter into the latter's ideas; and the artist giving way to the printer, to avail himself of his practical experience. The proof from your plate, for instance, has a dry look (see Pl. I.); it needs more softness, and this can be given to it by the printer.[D] (See Pl. II.)

[D] It would be a great advantage if every etcher could print his own proofs. Rembrandt is the most striking example, as he was the author of many of the devices in use even to-day. A press can easily be procured. The firm of Ve. Cadart, Paris, has had a little portable press constructed, especially for the use of artists and amateurs. All the necessary accessories for printing can also be obtained of this firm. (See Note 22.)

I will now explain to you some of the various artifices which are employed in printing.

89. =Handwiping with Retroussage.=--Having _wiped the plate with the palm of the hand_, we might _bring it up again (la retrousser)_ by playing over it very lightly with a piece of soft muslin rag rolled together. The muslin draws the ink out of the lines, and spreads it along their edges, so that, in the proof, the space between the lines is filled up by a vigorous tint. But this process can only be used on plates in which the lines are evenly disposed throughout, and, more especially, scattered. To produce the proper effect the _retroussage_ must be general; because, if the rag passes over one passage only, and not over the others, or, if it is brought into play only on the dark parts, and not in the lights, there will be discordance of tone, and consequently want of harmony. In the present case, therefore, _retroussage_ would be unsatisfactory, because the work on your plate, while it is broadly treated in some parts, is so close in others that there is no room left between the furrows. It follows that there is no place for the ink, drawn out of the lines, to spread on; the result would be a muddy tint,--one of those overcharged impressions which bring criticism upon the printer, because he has applied _retroussage_ to a plate which did not need it.

90. =Tinting with a Stiff Rag.=--Let us now try another means. The proof will gain in freshness if we soften the lines by going over the plate, _after it has been wiped with the hand_, somewhat more heavily with _stiff muslin_. Owing to the pressure used, the rag, instead of carrying away the ink which it has taken up out of the lines, retains it; a tint like that produced by the stump is spread over the plate, and envelops the lines without obscuring them; the proof is supple and velvety. (See Pl. II.)

91. =Wiping with the Rag only.=--Here is another variety. I am just printing a number of original plates by different artists. Being true painter's etchings, some of these plates are boldly accentuated and heavily bitten; the lines are widely apart, and significant. If these plates were printed _naturally_, they would yield bare and poor-looking proofs. Wiping with the hand would be useless. I therefore go over the plate with _stiff_ muslin. In the same manner I continue and finish, so as to give the greatest amount of cleaning to the luminous passages, while a tolerably strong tint is left on the dark and deeply bitten ones.

Or I might have wiped the plate energetically with soft muslin, and then might have brought up again certain passages with a soft and somewhat cleaner rag.

This method of wiping, which leaves on the surface of the plate a tint of more or less depth, must not be confounded with _retroussage_. Here is a proof of one of the plates of which I spoke to you: it is well sustained at all points; the lines are full and nourished; the general aspect is harmonious and energetic; the lights are softened; the strongly marked passages are enveloped in a warm tint. One might almost say that the effect of painting has been carried into etching.

This method is employed for plates which have been deeply bitten, but upon which stopping-out has been used but sparingly, for works in which there is sobriety of expression, or for sketches (see Pl. VIII.). It is all the more necessary, sometimes, for the printer to take the initiative, the simpler the plate has been etched; it is left to him, in short, to complete the intention merely indicated by the artist.

92. =Limits of Artificial Printing.=--These examples have shown to you that difference in tone depends on the amount of pressure, and the variety of texture in the muslin. It is oftentimes necessary--and this is an affair of tact--to make use of these diverse qualities of the muslin on the same plate,--now reducing an over-strong tint by more vigorous wiping; now giving renewed force to it, in case it has become too soft.

These various means constitute the art of printing etchings. But, while fully recognizing their efficiency when they are used to the purpose, we must also keep in mind the dangers which arise from their being applied without discernment. Plates produced by an intelligent combination of bitings, must be printed naturally, if they are not to lose the absolute character given to them by the needle and the acid. If they are at all wiped with the rag, so as to impart more softness to them, it must, at least, be done with the greatest of care.

The artist has every thing to gain, therefore, by watching over the printing of his plates, and instructing the printer as to the manner in which he desires to be interpreted. Some etchers prefer the simplicity of the natural state; but the great majority favor the other method of printing, which, for the very reason that it is difficult, and on account of the many variations in its application, ought always to be an object of interest to the printer, and the aim of his studies. It is, moreover, the method which is generally understood and adopted by our first etchers.[22]

93. =Printing Inks.=--The quality and the shade of the ink, as well as the way in which it is ground, are of great importance in the beauty of a proof. Inks are made of pure black, slightly tempered with bistre or burnt sienna, and the shade can be varied according to taste. A plate like yours needs a delicate black, composed of Frankfort black and lamp-black; the bistre-tint, which, in the course of time, loses its freshness and strength, would not answer. This tint is always best suited to strongly bitten work, but in your case it would be insufficient. A very strong black, on the other hand, would make your etching look hard. This last shade--pure, or very slightly broken with bistre--is preferable for strongly accented plates.[23]

94. =Paper.=--_Laid paper_ is the most suitable paper for printing etchings; its sparkle produces a marvellous effect; its strength defies time itself.

Some artists and amateurs ransack the shops for old paper with brown and dingy edges, which, to certain plates, imparts the appearance of old etchings.

_India paper (Chinese paper)_ promotes purity of line; but, as its surface is dull, it furnishes somewhat dry and dim proofs.

_Japanese paper_, of a warm yellowish tint, silky and transparent, is excellent, especially for plates which need more of mystery than of brilliancy, for heavy and deep tones, and for concentration of effect. Japanese paper absorbs the ink, and it is necessary, therefore, to bring up (_retrousser_) the plate strongly, and to wipe it with the rag. This paper is less favorable to sketches, the precise, free, and widely spaced lines of which accommodate themselves better to the tint of the laid paper.

_Parchment_ may also be used for proofs; nothing equals the beauty of such proofs, printed either naturally, or wiped with the rag; they are the treasures of collectors.[24]

95. =Epreuves Volantes.=--On Chinese and Japanese paper, as well as on parchment, so-called _epreuves volantes_ (flying proofs) are printed; that is to say, loose proofs, which are not pasted down on white paper. They are simply attached to Bristol board by the two upper corners, which brings them out perfectly.

96. =Proofs before Lettering.=--All of these various kinds of paper, each of which has its own claim for excellence, and especially Japanese paper, are by preference used for artists' proofs and proofs before lettering, which are printed before the title is engraved on the plate. It is customary to print a greater or less number of such proofs, which, being struck off when the plate is still quite fresh, show it at its best. After that, the plate is lettered, and an ordinary edition is printed from it.

It follows from this that the possessor of a proof without title has the best the plate can afford to give. But, as the pictures by the masters do not stand in need of a signature to be recognized, so the proofs before lettering may well do without the guaranty which is found in the absence of a title; even without this guaranty an amateur knows how to recognize the virgin freshness of an early impression, which is still further augmented by the extreme care bestowed on the printing of these exceptional proofs, but which cannot be kept up through a long edition.

97. =Epreuves de Remarque.=--_Epreuves de remarque_ (marked proofs), showing the different states of the plate, and the various modifications which it underwent, are also sought after. Their rarity increases their price.[25]

98. =Number of Impressions which a Plate is capable of yielding.=--The number of impressions which a plate can yield is not fixed, as the power of resisting the wear and tear of printing depends largely on the delicacy or the strength of the work. The quality of the copper must also be considered, a soft plate giving way much faster than a hard plate which has been well hammered. The plates prepared to-day do not resist as well as those formerly made; and as the popularity of works of art multiplied by the press has considerably increased, it became necessary to look about for means by which the surface of a copper plate may be hardened, and be made to yield a large edition. This has been accomplished by

99. =Steel-facing.=--_Steel-facing_, which was invented by Messrs. Salmon and Garnier, and which M. Jacquin undertook to render practicable, consists in depositing a coating of veritable steel, by galvanic action, on the face of the copper plate, or, in other words, by the superposition of a hard metal on a soft metal.

This mode of protection, which perfectly preserves the most delicate passages, even down to the almost invisible scratches of the dry point, not only guarantees the copper against the contact of the hand and the rag, which would tell on it more than the pressure of the rollers, but at the same time makes it possible to print a thousand proofs of equal purity. Certain plates, owing to the manner of wiping used on them, do not reach this figure; others, more simply printed, may yield three to four thousand proofs, and sometimes even a still larger number.

As soon as the plate shows the slightest change, or the copper begins to reappear, the coating of steel is removed by chemical agents, which, acting differently on the two metals, corrode the one, while they leave the other untouched. The plate is thus brought back to its original state, and is therefore in the same condition as before to receive a second steel-facing. In this way plates may be _de-steeled_ and _re-steeled_ a great many times, and the proofs printed from them may be carried up to considerable quantities.

As a rule, the plates are not steel-faced until after the proofs before lettering have been printed.

Soft-ground etchings, the biting of which is quite shallow, must be steel-faced after two to three hundred impressions.

The delicacy of the bur thrown up by the dry point hardly permits the printing of more than twenty or thirty proofs on an average; steel-facing carries this number up to a point which cannot be fixed absolutely, but it is certain that the bur takes the steel quite as well and as solidly as an etched line. Dry points may, therefore, yield long editions; the steel-facing must in that case be renewed whenever necessary.[26]

100. =Copper-facing Zink Plates.=--Zink plates cannot be steel-faced, but they can be copper-faced.[27] Steel-facing has been adopted by the Chalcographic Office of the Louvre, and by the _Gazette des Beaux Arts_, that remarkable and unique publication which is an honor to criticism and is found in all art libraries. Steel-facing, in fact, is universally employed; it preserves in good condition the beautiful plates of our engravers, and makes it possible to put within reach of a great many people engravings of a choice kind, which but lately were found only in the _salons_ of the rich and the collections of passionate amateurs.

NOTES

BY THE TRANSLATOR.

[1] (p. 2.) To these associations may be added the German Etching Clubs at Duesseldorf and at Weimar, which issue yearly portfolios of plates executed by their members, and the American Etching Clubs at New York and at Cincinnati. The New York Etching Club was organized in April, 1877, with Dr. L. M. Yale as its first president. At this writing Mr. James D. Smillie is the presiding officer of the club, which has about twenty-four members, including many of the leading artists of New York. The Cincinnati Etching Club is composed almost entirely of amateurs. Its president is Mr. George McLaughlin. Quite lately an Etching Club has also been formed in Boston, with Mr. Edmund H. Garrett as president.

[2] (p. 3.) Benzine is preferable to turpentine for most of the operations of the etcher, but more especially for cleaning soiled hands. It is advisable to use turpentine only when the benzine proves insufficient to remove the last traces of ground or ink from the lines.

[3] (p. 9.) Something about tools and materials has already been said in the Introductory Chapter, p. xiv. What is left to be said follows here:--

_Copper plates_, from visiting-card size (at $1 per dozen), to any required size can be bought of, or ordered through, the firms named on p. xiii, or of Mr. Geo. B. Sharp, 45 Gold St., New York. Mr. Sharp will send price-lists on application. The plates usually sold, at least of the smaller sizes, are made of an alloy, not of pure copper. These alloy plates are cheaper and bite more quickly than those of pure copper, but it happens occasionally that they do not bite evenly, owing to want of homogeneity in the metal. Still, they are extensively used, and amateurs will find them preferable to the more expensive copper plates.

_Etching-ground._ A recipe for a cheap and yet a very good ordinary ground has been given on p. xv. The transparent ground consists of

5 parts, by weight, of white wax. 3 " " gum-mastic.

Gum-mastic costs about thirty-five cents an ounce. Melt the wax first, and add the gum-mastic in powder gradually, stirring all the while with a clean glass or metal rod.

_Stopping-out varnish._ (See p. xvi.) There is a varnish sold at painters' supply-stores under the name of "Asphaltum Varnish for Sign-Writers' Use," which does very well. In Boston Asahel Wheeler sells it at fifteen cents a bottle.

_Needle-holders_ are unnecessary if the points described on p. xvi are used.

_Burnishers_ are sold at the hardware-stores, or by dealers in watchmakers' materials. They ought not to cost above fifty cents apiece.

_Scrapers._ Same as burnishers. Price not above $1. Some dealers ask $2, which is exorbitant.

_A lens_ can be obtained of any optician. In Boston they can also be had of A.J. Wilkinson & Co., hardware dealers, 184 Washington St., at prices varying from $1 to $1.50.

_India-rubber finger-gloves_ are unnecessary if you use the "plate-lifter" described on p. xvii.

_Nitric acid._ Messrs. Powers & Weightman's "Nitric Acid, C. P." (i. e. chemically pure), recommended on p. xvii, is 42 degrees, and Messrs. P. & W. inform me that the strength is tolerably uniform. If you are an enthusiastic etcher it will be best to buy a seven-pound bottle, which is the next largest to the one-pound bottles.

_Tracing-paper_, _gelatine_, _chalk_, and _sanguine_ can be obtained at the artists' material stores.

_Emery-paper._ Hardware-stores. Price four cents a sheet.

_Roller for revarnishing._ See Note 5.

To the tools and materials mentioned by M. Lalanne the following must be added: _Whiting_, _benzine_, _turpentine_, _alcohol_, _willow charcoal_. The last-named article can be supplied by Mr. Geo. B. Sharp, of 45 Gold St., New York, before mentioned.

[4] (p. 11.) I wrote to M. Lalanne to find out the ingredients of the _petit vernis liquide_ and _vernis au pinceau_, but he says that he does not know, and that the recipes are a secret of the maker of these varnishes. The asphaltum varnish mentioned on p. xvi and in Note 3 does excellently well, however, both for stopping out and retouching. After it has been fanned (see p. xxi) until it has thickened sufficiently not to stick to the finger when touched, but before it is quite dry, it can be worked upon with the point. If not dry enough, which will manifest itself readily as soon as you have drawn the first line, fan again. If it were allowed to dry absolutely, it would chip off under the needle. There is a liquid ground, made by Mr. Louis Delnoce of the American Bank Note Company, New York, which--so Mr. Jas. D. Smillie informs me--is used for retouches by the engravers of the company, is applied with the brush, is a very quick dryer, tough, and resists acid perfectly. Mr. Delnoce sells it in ounce bottles at seventy-five cents each.

[5] (p. 12.) The roller for revarnishing, spoken of by M. Lalanne, and also recommended by Mr. Hamerton, cannot be bought in this country. Nor--with all due deference to the great experience of M. Lalanne--is such a large and expensive roller necessary. The rollers used by our most experienced etchers--Mr. Jas. D. Smillie, for instance--are little cylinders of India-rubber, about one inch in diameter and one and one-half inches long. They cost from 50 cents to $2 each. _But these rollers cannot be used with etching-paste._ The oil of lavender in the paste attacks the rubber and destroys it. As to the manner of using the India-rubber roller see Note 12.

[6] (p. 20.) The use of bordering wax is not advisable. But as some etchers still employ it, I add a recipe for making it, which was kindly communicated to me by Mr. Peter Moran of Philadelphia:--

3 lbs. Burgundy pitch. 1 lb. yellow beeswax. 1 gill sweet oil.

Melt together and then form into strips.

[7] (p. 21.) Etching is the most individual of the reproductive arts (or rather of the _multiplying_ arts, the German _vervielfaeltigende Kuenste_), even in its technical processes. Therefore nearly every etcher has his own ways of doing, and few agree on all points. Many etchers do not think it necessary to weaken the acid as described in the text. But be sure to let it _cool_ after it has been mixed with water, before you immerse your plate!

[8] (p. 22.) It would take altogether too long to wait for the _perfect_ drying of the asphaltum varnish, nor is it necessary. Fan it, as described in Note 4, and as soon as it ceases to stick you can again immerse your plate.

[9] (p. 25.) I have never been able to notice this turning dark of the lines, although I have had plates in the bath for several hours, and some of my artist acquaintances whom I have consulted on the point, have confirmed my experience. Possibly the phenomenon described by M. Lalanne may be caused by impurities in the acid.

[10] (p. 27.) If the reader will make use of the device for lifting the plate into and out of the bath, which I have described on p. xvii, there will be no necessity of burning his fingers. With a little precaution, and a plentiful use of benzine for washing and cleaning, the daintiest lady's hand need not suffer from etching.

[11] (p. 29.) For directions for making this ground see Note 3.

[12] (p. 38.) To make the varnish, or rather etching-paste, recommended in the text, a warm-water bath is not absolutely necessary.

Take any small porcelain or earthenware vessel (a small gallipot is very convenient, because the etching-paste can be kept in it for use), and set it upon a metal frame, easily made of wire, so that you can introduce a spirit lamp under it. Break up a ball, or part of a ball, of ordinary etching-ground, and throw it into the pot. Heat the pot carefully, so as just to allow the ground to melt. When it has melted, add oil of lavender (worth thirty-five cents an ounce at the druggist's), drop by drop, and keep stirring the mixture with a clean glass rod. From time to time allow a drop of the mixture to fall on a cold glass or metal plate. If, on cooling, it assumes the consistency of pomatum, the paste is finished.

As I have said before, this paste cannot be used with the India-rubber rollers recommended in Note 5. With these rollers the regrounding must be done with the ordinary etching-ground with the aid of heat. Warm your plate so that you can just bear to touch it with the hand, and allow some of the ground to melt on a second, unused copper plate. Also warm the roller slightly. Then proceed as M. Lalanne directs in his fifty-seventh paragraph. The slight changes in the proceeding, which grow out of the differences between cold and warm ground, are self-evident.

It is hardly necessary to say that the roller can also be used for laying the first ground. _But it is of no use on any but perfectly smooth, straight plates, as it cannot penetrate into hollows._ When it is not available the dabber must be employed in the old manner.

[13] (p. 39.) Some engravers prefer the dabber to the roller even for regrounding entire plates. In that case the ground is spread on the margin of the plate, if that be wide enough, or on a separate plate, and is taken up by the dabber. The plate to be regrounded must of course be warmed as for laying a ground with the roller, and care must be taken not to have the dabber overcharged with ground.

[14] (p. 40.) In default of the charcoal-paste, rubbing with the finest emery-paper will do to remove the polish.

[15] (p. 40.) I cannot direct the reader to a copper-planer, and therefore it will be best to give some directions for removing faulty passages. The following paragraphs are copied bodily from Mr. Hamerton:--

"The most rapid way is to use sandpapers of different degrees of coarseness, the coarsest first, and then the scraper, and, finally, willow charcoal with olive oil. The charcoal will leave the surface in a fit state to etch upon.

"This scraping and rubbing hollows out the surface of the copper, and if it hollows it too much the printing will not be quite satisfactory in that part of the plate. In that case you have nothing to do but mark the spot on the back of the plate with a pair of calipers, then lay the plate on its face upon a block of polished steel, and give it two or three blows with a hammer (mind that the hammer is rounded so as not to indent the copper)."

[16] (p. 48.) The process here alluded to is the one used by Mr. Haden. The mordant is the so-called Dutch mordant, and the manner of making it is thus described by Mr. Hamerton:--

"First heat the water by putting the bottle containing it into a pan also containing water, and keep it on the fire till that in the pan boils. Now add the chlorate of potash, and see that every crystal of it is dissolved. Shake the bottle to help the solution. When no more crystals are to be seen, you may add the hydrochloric acid. Make a good quantity of this mordant at once, so as always to have a plentiful supply by you."

For a full account of the Haden process see Mr. Hamerton's "Etcher's Handbook," or the second edition of his "Etching and Etchers."

This Dutch mordant is preferred to nitric acid by many etchers,--even when working, not in the bath, but in the ordinary way, as taught by M. Lalanne,--because it bites down into the copper, and hardly widens the lines. "From my experience," writes Mr. Jas. D. Smillie, in a letter now before me, "I unhesitatingly prefer the Dutch mordant for copper; it bites a very fine black line, it is not so severe a trial to the ground, and it does not need constant watching."

Mr. Smillie, however, uses the mordant much stronger than Mr. Haden. He has, in fact, invented a process of his own, which, in a letter to me, he describes as follows:--

"I draw and bite as I progress; that is, I draw in the darkest parts first, give them a good nip with the mordant, wash the plate and dry it, and then draw the next stage. I can thus, by drawing lines over a part that has already been exposed to the mordant, interlace heavy and light lines in a way that I could not by any other process. I etch upon an unsmoked ground, and as the Dutch mordant bites a _black_ line, I see my etching clearly as it advances, By holding the head well over the plate, the lines can be very distinctly seen as they are drawn. After a little experimenting, the etcher will find the angle at which he can see his unbitten work upon an unsmoked ground without trouble. Mr. Hamerton's formula seemed to me too weak, so I am experimenting with

Muriatic acid, 1 ounce. Chlorate of potash, 1-5 " Water, 5 ounces.

"This is the mordant I am now using, and I have found it to work well. Still, as I am not a scientific chemist, and my knowledge is entirely empiric, I am prepared to believe any chemist who may tell me that I might do as well, or better, with more water.

"Generally I do not get all the color I wish by the first process, as I can see without removing the ground; so, when my etching is finished, I reverse the engine and begin stopping out and biting upon the original ground, as it is ordinarily done. I do not use the black asphaltum varnish for stopping out, but a transparent varnish that is simply white resin dissolved in alcohol. If applied very carefully, and allowed time to dry, it is perfectly clear and transparent, and the relations of all parts of the plate can be seen,--the stopped out as well as the bitten lines,--but to a careless worker it presents many troubles. It is so transparent that it is hard to see what is stopped out and what is not, and if washed with very warm water, or before it is thoroughly dry, it turns cloudy and semi-opaque. I have no trouble with it, and could not get along without it. I make it myself,--have no formula,--adding alcohol until it is thin enough to flow readily from the brush. It has a great advantage over asphaltum varnish, as it does not flow along a line. It is viscid enough to remain just where it is put, and is as perfect a protection as any asphaltum varnish."

Mr. Smillie heats his bath on the plate-warmer, but not to exceed 80 deg., or at most 90 deg. Such a bath of hot mordant acts much more quickly than a cold acid bath, less than two minutes being sufficient for the lightest lines.

[17] (p. 50.) Gravers are of different shapes, according to the nature of the line which they are intended to produce. They are sometimes kept at the hardware-stores, as, for instance, by A. J. Wilkinson & Co., 184 Washington St., Boston. This house also issues an illustrated catalogue of engravers' tools.

[18] (p. 52.) M. Lalanne, it seems to me, does not do full justice to zinc plates. Very delicate lines can be bitten on zinc if the acid is sufficiently weakened. I have found that one part of nitric acid to eight parts of water, used on zinc, is about equal to one-half acid and one-half water, used on copper for about the same length of time. Zinc plates can also be bought of Mr. Geo. B. Sharp, 45 Gold St., New York. As to the length of edition that can be printed from a zinc plate, see Note 27.

[19] (p. 52.) This is not strictly correct. The "maniere de crayon," as practised by Demarteau and others, differs materially from soft-ground etching. A ground was laid and smoked as usual, and on it the drawing was produced, by a variety of instruments, such as points, some of them multiple, the roulette, the mattoir, etc.

[20] (p. 55.) There is another method of getting what may be called a proof, i. e. by taking a cast in plaster. Ink your plate and wipe it clean, as described in Note 22, and then pour over it plaster-of-Paris mixed with water. When the plaster has hardened it can easily be separated from the plate, and the ink in the lines will adhere to it. To make such a cast you must manage a rim around your plate, or you may lay it into a paper box, face upward. Mix about half a tumbler full of water (or more, according to the size of the plate) with double the quantity of plaster, adding the plaster, little by little, and stirring continually. When the mixture begins to thicken pour it on the plate, and if necessary spread it over the whole of the surface by means of a piece of wood or anything else that will answer. Then allow it to harden.

[21] (p. 55.) The chafing-dish and the ball (or dabber) are now replaced by the gas flame and the inking-roller in most printing establishments. But if you desire to do your own proving, you will have to use a dabber, the manner of making which is described in the next note.

[22] (p. 59.) If there is no plate-printer near you, but you have access to a lithographic printing establishment, you can have your proofs taken there. "Lithographic presses," says A. Potemont, "give perfectly good and satisfactory proofs of etchings."

Not every printer can print an etching as it ought to be printed. A man may be an excellent printer of line engravings and mezzotints, and yet may be totally unfit to print an etching. I would recommend the following printing establishments:--

New York: Kimmel & Voigt, 242 Canal Street. Boston: J. H. Daniels, 223 Washington Street.

If you desire to establish an amateur printing-office of your own you will need, in addition to the tools and materials already in your possession:--

A press, A plate-warmer, An ink-slab, A muller, A dabber or ball, Rags for wiping, Printing-ink, Paper.

_The press._ The presses used by professional plate-printers will be thought too large and too costly by most etchers. There is a small press sold by Madame Ve. A. Cadart, 56 Boulevard Haussmann, Paris, of which a representation is given on the next page.

This press, accompanied by all the necessary accessories,--rags, ink, paper, plate-warmer, dabber, etc.,--sells in Paris at the price of 150 francs (about $30). There is an extra charge for boxing; and freight, duties, etc., must also be paid for, extra, on presses imported to this country. The publishers of this book are ready to take orders for these presses, but I cannot inform the reader what the charges will amount to, as no importations have yet been made by Messrs. Estes & Lauriat.

There is also a small press invented by Mr. Hamerton and made in London by Mr. Charles Roberson, 99 Long Acre, which sells on the other side, for the press only, at two guineas for the smallest, and four guineas for a larger size. These presses are smaller than the Cadart presses, and, according to Mr. Hamerton, are "very portable affairs, which an etcher might put in his box when travelling, and use anywhere, in an inn, in a friend's house, or even out of doors when etching from nature."

A small press has also quite lately been introduced by Messrs. Janentzky & Co., of Philadelphia, which costs only $16.50 (without accessories), and is well recommended by those who have used it.

The press is not complete without the flannels spoken of in the text (p. 56, Sec. 87). There is a kind of very thick flannel specially made for printers' use. But if this cannot be had (of some plate-printer) any good flannel with a piece of thick soft cloth over it will do well enough.

In adjusting the press care must be taken that the pressure is neither too great nor too small. This is a matter of experience.

_The plate-warmer_ is a box made of strong sheet-iron, into which either a gas-jet or a small kerosene lamp can be introduced. If you happen to have a gas-stove, and can get an iron plate of some kind to lay across the top, you will have an excellent plate-warmer.

_The ink-slab._ Any _smooth_ slab of marble, slate, or lithographic stone, about a foot square, will do.

_A muller._ This is a pestle of stone, flat at the bottom, used for grinding colors or ink.

_A dabber or ball._ Take strips of thick cloth or flannel, about four or five inches wide; roll them together as tightly as possible, until you have a cylinder of two or three inches in diameter; bind firmly by strong twine wound all around the cylinder; then cut one end with a large sharp knife, so as to get a smooth surface. After the dabber has been used for some time, and the ink has hardened in it, cut off another slice so as to get a fresh surface.

_Rags for wiping._ Fine Swiss muslin and the fabric known as cheese cloth make good rags for wiping. They can be bought at the dry-goods stores. As they are charged with some material to make them stiff and increase the weight, they must be washed before they are used. When they have become too much charged with ink they may be boiled out in a solution of potash or soda in water. The Swiss muslin costs about twelve cents a yard, the cheese cloth about five.

I had a lot of rags specially sent to me from Paris, as I wished to see the difference between the soft and the stiff muslin. The parcel contained a collection of pieces of a sort of Swiss muslin, evidently old curtains, and some pieces of old cotton shirting, some of which had done duty at the Hotel des Invalides, still bearing its stamp!

_Printing-ink and paper._ (See Notes 23 and 24.)

To _ink the plate_, place it on the plate-warmer and allow it to become as hot as your hand can bear. Then take up the ink from the ink-slab with the dabber and spread it all over the surface, moving the dabber along with a rocking motion, but not striking the plate with it. Take care that the lines are well filled. Sometimes, in the first inking of the plate, it is necessary to use the finger to force the ink into the lines.

In _wiping the plate_ the first operation is to remove all the superfluous ink from the surface by means of a rag. What follows depends on the kind of impression you desire to get. If you want a _natural_, _clean_, or _dry_ proof, as these impressions are variously called (i. e. an impression which shows only black lines on a perfectly clear white ground), charge the palm of your hand with a _very little_ whiting or Spanish white, and with it finish the wiping of the plate. This operation will leave the surface of the plate perfectly clean and bright, while the ink remains in the lines. If you desire to have an even tint left all over the plate, avoid the use of the hand, and wipe with the rag only. Plate-printers use their rags moist, but for printing etchings a dry rag is preferable, as it leaves more of a tint on the plate. Note, also, that the rag must be tolerably well charged with ink to enable you to wipe a good tint with it.

The margin of the plate, even if a tint is left over it, must always be wiped clean. This is best accomplished by a bit of cotton cloth charged with whiting.

For the rest, nothing is left but to experiment according to the hints given in the text by M. Lalanne.

[23] (p. 59.) If you can, buy your ink of a plate-printer or of a lithographer. That used by book-printers will _not_ do! The trouble is that the ink used by ordinary plate-printers is of a disagreeably cold cast, as it is mixed with blue. Etchings ought to be printed with a warm black, and sometimes, especially in the case of somewhat over-bitten plates, with an ink of a decidedly brownish hue. Inks are made of linseed-oil varnish (i. e. linseed oil that has been boiled down or burned), and the blacks mentioned in the text. There are various qualities of varnish according to its consistency, varying from thin through medium to stiff. If you wish to mix your own ink, you must try to procure the materials of some plate-printer or lithographer. For varnish use the medium, for black the Francfort. The burnt Sienna (which you can buy at any paint-shop) is used only to warm up the black. Lay some of the dry color on your ink-slab, add a very little of the varnish, and mix with the muller. Then add more varnish until the ink forms a tolerably stiff paste. The grinding must be carefully done, so as to avoid grittiness. Besides, if the color is not thoroughly well incorporated with the varnish, the ink will not stand. To preserve the ink for future use, put it into some vessel with a cover, and pour water over it. The water standing on top of the ink keeps it soft. Otherwise the varnish would harden.

[24] (p. 60.) The heavy Dutch hand-made papers are still preferred by most people for etchings; but it is very difficult, if not impossible, to procure them in this country. The paper known as Lalanne charcoal paper, which is likewise a hand-made paper, can be bought at the artist's material stores. Good drawing-paper will also answer. The worst, because most inartistic, of all, is the plain white plate paper. The paper used for the etchings in the AMERICAN ART REVIEW, first made especially for this journal according to my suggestions, has excellent printing qualities, although, being a machine-made, unglued paper, it lacks some of the characteristics of the Dutch hand-made paper. But its texture is very good, and it takes up the ink even _better_ than the Dutch papers.

Japanese paper can be procured of the firms named on page xiii.

Dry paper will not take a decent impression, and the sheets to be used for printing must therefore be moistened. To prepare the ordinary paper, take three or four sheets at a time, and pass them slowly through clean water contained in a pail or other vessel. Wet as many sheets as you may need, lay them on top of one another, place the pile between two boards, and allow them to lie thus under tolerably heavy pressure for at least twelve, or, better still, for twenty-four hours. The paper will then be ready for use.

To prepare Japanese paper, lay each sheet between two wet sheets of ordinary paper, and let it lie as before.

[25] (p. 60.) _Epreuves de remarque._ The _remarque_ usually consists in leaving unfinished some little detail in an out-of-the-way corner of the plate. After the _epreuves de remarque_ have been printed, this detail is finished. A person who cannot tell a good impression from a bad one, or does not know whether a plate is spoiled or still in good condition, without some such extraneous sign, has slight claim to be considered a connoisseur.

[26] (p. 62.) New York is, for the present, I believe, the only place where steel-facing is done in America. I can recommend Mr. F. A. Ringler, 21 and 23 Barclay Street, New York.

[27] (p. 62.) Zinc plates _can_ be steel-faced, but the facing cannot be renewed, as it cannot be removed. The zinc plate on which Mr. Lansil's little etching, given in this volume, is executed, was steel-faced. It is feasible also, the electrotypers tell me, to deposit a thin coating of copper on the zinc first, and then to superimpose a coating of steel. In that case the steel-facing can be renewed as long as the copper-facing under it remains intact.

LIST OF WORKS ON THE PRACTICE AND HISTORY OF ETCHING.[E]

[E] This list is very far from being complete, especially in the last section, "Individual Artists." I have made a few additions, which have been marked by an asterisk. Those who desire to pursue the subject will find a very full bibliographical list in J. E. WESSELY'S _Anleitung zur Kenntniss und zum Sammeln der Werke des Kunstdruckes_, Leipzig, Weigel, 1876, p. 279 et seq.--_Translator._

A. TECHNICAL TREATISES.

_De la gravure en taille-douce, a l'eau-forte et au burin_, ensemble la maniere d'en imprimer les planches et d'en construire la presse, par ABRAHAM BOSSE. Paris, 1645.

_Traite des manieres de graver en taille-douce sur l'airain_ par le moyen des eaux-fortes et des vernis durs et mols, par le s. ABRAHAM BOSSE, augmente de la nouvelle maniere dont se sert M. LECLERC, graveur du roi. Paris, 1701.

* _De la maniere de graver a l'eau-forte_ et au burin, et de la gravure en maniere noir ... par ABRAHAM BOSSE. Nouvelle edition.... Paris, 1758. Small 8vo. Ill.

* _Die Kunst in Kupfer zu stechen_ sowohl mittelst des Aetzwassers als mit dem Grabstichel ... durch ABRAHAM BOSSE.... Aus dem Franzoesischen ins Deutsche uebersetzt. Dresden, 1765. Small 8vo. Ill.

_The Art of Graveing and Etching_, wherein is exprest the true Way of Graveing in Copper; allso the Manner and Method of that famous Callot, and M. Bosse, in their several Ways of Etching. Published by WILLIAM FAITHORNE. London, 1662. 8vo. Ill.

_Idee de la gravure_, par M. DE M * * *. Without place or date. 12mo. (This essay appeared originally in the "Mercure" for April, 1756, and was afterwards printed separately. See, also, in the "Mercure" for 1755, a notice, announcing the publication of a print by de Marcenay de Ghuy after the elder Parrocel. This notice was also printed separately.)

_Idee de la gravure_ ... par M. DE MARCENAY DE GHUY. Paris, 1764. In-4 de 16 et 10 pag. (This is a second edition of the work last mentioned.)

* _Anleitung zur Aetzkunst_ ... nach eigenen praktischen Erfahrungen herausgegeben von JOHANN HEINRICH MEYNIER. Hof, 1804. 8vo. Ill.

_Lectures on the Art of Engraving_, delivered at the Royal Institute of Great Britain, by JOHN LANDSEER, Engraver to the King. London, 1807. 8vo.

_Three Lectures on Engraving_, delivered at the Surrey Institution in the Year 1809, by ROBERT MITCHELL MEADOWS. London, 1811. 8vo.

_Manuel du graveur_, ou Traite complet de la gravure en tous genres, d'apres les renseignements fournis par plusieurs artistes. Par A. M. PERROT. Paris, 1830. In-18.

_Des mordants, des vernis et des planches dans l'art du graveur_, ou Traite complet de la gravure. Par PIERRE DELESCHAMPS. Paris, 1836. In-8.

* _Vollstaendiges Handbuch der Gravirkunst_, enthaltend gruendliche Belehrungen ueber die Aetzwaesser, die Aetzgruende, die Platten und die Gravir-maschinen.... Von PET. DELESCHAMPS. Deutsch, mit Zusaetzen, von Dr. CHR. H. SCHMIDT. Quedlinburg und Leipzig, Basse, 1838. Ill.

_The Art of Engraving_, with the various Modes of Operation.... By T. H. FIELDING. London, 1844. 8vo. Ill.

_Lettre de Martial_ sur les elements de la gravure a l'eau-forte. Paris, 1864. (Etched on 4 fol. plates, illustrated.)

_Nouveau traite de la gravure a l'eau-forte_ a l'usage des peintres et des dessinateurs, par A. P. MARTIAL. Paris, A. Cadart. 1873. Ill.

* _The Etcher's Handbook_: giving an Account of the Old Processes, and of Processes recently discovered. By PHILIP GILBERT HAMERTON. London, Roberson, 1871. Ill. (See also Mr. Hamerton's _Etching and Etchers_, 2d edition.)

* _Mr. Seymour Haden on Etching._ Lectures delivered at the Royal Institution, reports of which were published in "The Magazine of Art," 1879, and in the London "Building News," 1879.

* _The Etcher's Guide._ By THOMAS BISHOP. Philadelphia, Janentzky, 1879. Ill.

_Grammaire des Arts du Dessin_, par CHARLES BLANC. In this work (of which there is also an English translation), there is a special chapter on Etching.

_Charles Jacque._ Articles by him on Etching in the "Magasin pittoresque."

_Gravure._--Article extrait de l'Encyclopedie des arts et metiers. In-fol, de 9 pag., fig.

B. HISTORICAL AND THEORETICAL.

* _Anleitung zur Kupferstichkunde._ VON ADAM VON BARTSCH. Wien, 1821. 2 vols. 8vo. Plates.

_Des types et des manieres des maitres graveurs_, pour servir a l'histoire de la gravure en Italie, en Allemagne, dans les Pays-Bas et en France, par JULES RENOUVIER. Montpellier, 1853-1856. 4 parties in-4.

_La gravure depuis son origine_, par HENRI DELABORDE. 1860. (These articles appeared in the _Revue des Deux Mondes_ for Dec. 1 and 15, 1850, and Jan. 1, 1851.)

_Histoire de la gravure en France_, par GEORGES DUPLESSIS. Paris, 1861. In-8. (This work was crowned by the French Institute [Academie des beaux-arts].)

_Etching and Etchers._ By PHILIP GILBERT HAMERTON. London, Macmillan, 1868. 4to. Ill.

* _Etching and Etchers._ By PHILIP GILBERT HAMERTON. (Second edition.) 1876. London, Macmillan. Boston, Roberts Bros.

* _The Origin and Antiquity of Engraving_.... By W. S. BAKER. Boston, Osgood, 1875. 4to. (Second edition. Ill.)

_La Gravure a l'eau-forte_, essai historique par RAOUL DE SAINT-ARROMAN.--_Comment je devins graveur a l'eau-forte_, par le comte LEPIC. Paris, Cadart, 1876.

* _Anleitung zur Kenntniss und zum Sammeln der Werke des Kunstdruckes_, von J. E. WESSELY. Leipzig, Weigel, 1876. 8vo.

* _About Etching._ Part I. Notes by Mr. SEYMOUR HADEN on a Collection of Etchings by the Great Masters.... Part II. An Annotated Catalogue of the Etchings exhibited. 148 New Bond Street (London), 1879. (Second edition, which has some additions.)

* _About Etching._ By SEYMOUR HADEN. Illustrated with an original etching by Mr. Haden, and fourteen facsimiles from his collection. Imperial 4to. London, The Fine Art Society, 1879.

C. CATALOGUES OF THE WORKS OF THE ARTISTS.

(_a._) DICTIONARIES.

_Le peintre-graveur_, par ADAM BARTSCH. Vienne, 1803-1821. 21 vol. in-8 et un atlas in-4.

* _Le peintre-graveur._ Par J. D. PASSAVANT. Leipzig, 1860. 6 vols. 8vo. (Continuation of Bartsch's work.)

_Le peintre-graveur francais_, ... par ROBERT DUMESNIL. Paris, 1835-1874. 11 vol. in-8.

_Le peintre-graveur francais continue_, par PROSPER DE BEAUDICOUR. Paris, 1859. 2 vol. in-8.

* _Le peintre-graveur hollandais et flamand._ Par J. P. VAN DER KELLEN. Utrecht, 1866. 4to. (Continuation of Bartsch's work.)

* _Le peintre-graveur hollandais et belge du XIX^e siecle._ Par T. HIPPERT et JOS. LINNIG. Bruxelles, 1874 (first vol.) et seq. 8vo.

* _Der deutsche Peintre-graveur._ Von A. ANDRESEN. Leipzig, 1864, et seq. 5 vols. 8vo.

* _Die Malerradirer des 19. Jahrhunderts._ Von A. ANDRESEN. Leipzig, 1866-1870. 4 vols. 8vo.

* _Die Malerradirer des 19. Jahrhunderts._ Von J. E. WESSELY. Leipzig, 1874. 8vo. (Continuation of Andresen's work.)

(_b._) INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS.

_Beredeneerde catalogus_ van alle de prenten van NICOLAAS BERGHEM ... beschreven door HENDRICK DE WINTER. Amsterdam, 1767.

_Catalogue de l'oeuvre d'Abraham Bosse_, par GEORGES DUPLESSIS. Paris, 1859. In-8. (From the "Revue Universelle des Arts.")

_Eloge historique de Callot_, par le P. HUSSON. Bruxelles, 1766. In-4.

_A Catalogue and Description_ of the whole of the Works of the celebrated JACQUES CALLOT ... by J. H. GREEN (attributed to CLAUSSIN). 1804. 12mo.

_Eloge historique de Callot_, par M. DESMARETZ. Nancy, 1828. In-8.

_Recherches_ sur la vie et les ouvrages de J. CALLOT, par E. MEAUME. Paris, 1860. 2 vol. in-8.

_OEuvre de Claude Gelee_, dit le Lorrain, par le comte GUILLAUME DE L. (LEPPEL). Dresde, 1806. In-8, fig. (For the engraved works of Claude Lorrain, see also the "Peintre-graveur" of M. Robert Dumesnil, vol. i., and the "Cabinet de l'Amateur et de l'Antiquaire," by Eugene Piot, vol. ii. pp. 433-466.)

_Eloge historique de Claude Gelee_, dit le Lorrain, par J. P. VOIART. Nancy, 1839. In-8.

_A Description_ of the Works of the ingenious Delineator and Engraver, WENCESLAUS HOLLAR, disposed into Classes of different Sorts; with some Account of his Life. By G. VERTUE. London, 1745. 4to, Portr.

_De la gravure a l'eau-forte et des eaux-fortes de Charles Jacque._ By CHARLES BLANC. In the "Gazette des Beaux Arts," vol. ix. p. 193 et seq.

_Les Johannot_, par M. CH. LENORMANT. Paris (1858). In-8. (From Michaud's "Biographie universelle.")

* _Essay on Meryon, and a Catalogue of his Works_, by FREDERIC WEDMORE. London, Thibaudeau, 1879. (Announced as about to be published.) See also _Meryon and Meryon's Paris_, by F. WEDMORE, in the "Nineteenth Century," for May, 1878.

* _P. Burty's Catalogue of the Etchings of Meryon_, revised from the Catalogue in the "Gazette des Beaux Arts," and translated by Mr. M. B. HUISH, is announced to be published by the London Fine-Art Society.

_M^e. O'Connell, Meissonier, Millet, Meryon, Seymour Haden._ Articles on these etchers by PHILIPPE BURTY in the "Gazette des Beaux Arts."

_Catalogue raisonne_ des estampes gravees a l'eau-forte par GUIDO RENI, par ADAM BARTSCH. Vienne, 1795. In-8.

_Catalogue raisonne_ de toutes les estampes qui forment l'oeuvre de _Rembrandt_, ... par ADAM BARTSCH. Vienne, 1797. 2 vol. in-8.

_A Descriptive Catalogue of the Prints of Rembrandt_, by an Amateur (WILSON). London, 1836. In-8.

_Rembrandt and his Works_, ... by JOHN BURNET. London, 1859. 4to. Ill.

_Rembrandt._ Discours sur sa vie et son genie, avec un grand nombre de documents historiques, par le Dr. P. SCHELTEMA, traduit par A. WILLEMS. Revu et annote par W. BURGER. Bruxelles, 1859. In-8. (From the "Revue universelle des Arts.")

_L'OEuvre complet de Rembrandt_, remarquablement decrit et commente par CHARLES BLANC. Paris, 1859. 3 vol. in-8.

* _Rembrandt Harmens van Rijn._ Ses precurseurs et ses annees d'apprentissage. Par C. VOSMAER. La Haye, Nijhoff, 1863.

* _Rembrandt Harmens van Rijn._ Sa vie et ses oeuvres. Par C. VOSMAER. La Haye, Nijhoff, 1868. (A second, revised edition appeared some years ago.)

* _The Etched Works of Rembrandt._ A Monograph. By FRANCIS SEYMOUR HADEN. With three plates and appendix. London, Macmillan, 1879. Medium 8vo.

* _Descriptive Catalogue_ of the Etched Works of _Rembrandt van Rhyn_. With Life and Introduction. By C. H. MIDDLETON. Royal 8vo. London, 1879.

_Pictorial Notices_; consisting of a Memoir of _Sir Anthony van Dyck_, with a Descriptive Catalogue of the Etchings executed by him.... By WILLIAM HOOKHAM CARPENTER. London, 1844. 4to. Portrait.

* _The Works of the American Etchers._ In the "American Art Review."

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES:

Obvious typos and inconsistencies corrected/standardised: Bruxelle to Bruxelles, Nitrid Acid to Nitric Acid, i.e. to i. e., Societe des aqua-fortistes to Societe des Aqua-fortistes (as elsewhere in text), Epreuves to Epreuves (as elsewhere in text), cardboard to card-board, overbitten and over bitten to over-bitten, travelling board to travelling-board (as elsewhere in text).

Other inconsistencies generally left as in original: Zinc/zinc v Zink/zink, facsimile v fac-simile, nowadays v now-a-days, India-rubber v india-rubber, Rembrandt van Rhyn v Rembrandt van Rijn.

The oe-ligature (as in oeuvre) is represented as oe. Passages in italics are surrounded by _underscores_. Likewise passages in bold are indicated by =bold=. The carat character ^ is used to indicate superscripts (as in Fig. 1^a).

Table of Contents: expanded (compared to original book) by including all sections in the List of Works. Note that the section headed My Dear M. Lalanne in the text is called Letter by M. Charles Leblanc in the Table of Contents.

Plate IX and page xxiv: the writing on the plate is not very clear, but the building is actually called the Waag, this has been used in the text.

Footnotes (A, B, ...) moved to end of paragraph, endnotes (notes from the translator, 1, 2, ...) left together in separate chapter, as in original.