The random—and not so random—musings of a quirky Regency romance writer.
No one with that many people in her head can possibly be normal...

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

~Regency Wednesday~ The Copper-Plate Printer

I've long been a fan of the plates (pictures) included in Regency publications. So let's take a look at the Copper-Plate Printer. ☺



  "The Copper-Plate Printer is a person who transfers portraits, landscapes, and a variety of other pictures and writing, from engravings on copper to paper, by a very ingenious process, of which we are now to speak.
  This art is said to have been as ancient as the year 1450, and to owe its origin to Finguerra, a Florentine goldsmith, who accidentally pouring some melted brimstone on an engraved plate, found the exact impression of the engraving left in the cold brimstone, marked with black taken out of the strokes by the liquid sulphur: upon this, he attempted to do the same on silver plates with wet paper, by rolling it smoothly with a roller; and this succeeded. But this art was not used in England till the reign of King James I, when it was brought from Antwerp by Speed.
  The principal things requisite in this business, are the ink, and a press, called a rolling-press."

*Clipped from The Book of English Trades (1818), p.120. Get the Google e-book HERE.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing
♫♪ The Cranberries ~ Zombie

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