[Rarebooks] FS: Newly Added- 1838 Chromo Litho Art Book

Joslin Hall Rare Books, ABAA office at joslinhall.com
Thu Sep 21 08:40:45 EDT 2006


>From our newly released catalog-
RECENT ACQUISITIONS FOR SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER
<http://www.joslinhall.com/catalog_284.htm>
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A Very Early Example of Chromolithography-

Howard, Frank. COLOUR, AS A MEANS OF ART, being an adaptation of the
experience of professors to the practice of amateurs.

London; Joseph Thomas: 1838.

The first edition of this interesting book by the author of several art
manuals, including a companion volume on sketching. In this volume Howard
surveys the coloring used by various schools and masters of art, including
Titian, Rubens and Turner, and instructs the amateur on how to achieve
like effects and gain a knowledge of coloring.

The book is perhaps most notable today as a very early example of color
lithographic printing, with 18 color plates produced by Charles Joseph
Hullmandell. A Paris-trained painter, Hullmandell was introduced to
lithography by the pioneering lithographer Alois Senefelder during a trip
to Munich in 1817. Soon he had developed his own lithographic press and
was experimenting with new techniques, including ways of printing in
colors. Howard notes in his preface-

    “For the method in which the plates of the present
     work have been executed, I am indebted to a recent
     improvement in Lithography, made by Mr. Hullmandell.
     It is capable of producing more nearly the effects
     of painting than any other style of engraving; but
     from these plates, professing only to represent masses
     of Colour and general tone, and being the first that
     have been attempted in this particular application,
     they are not calculated to display Mr. Hullmandell’s
     improvement to advantage”.

Despite Howard’s protestations, the plates, which were achieved by the
printing of three or four overlays of color, have an undeniable charm and
are quite effective at getting across the points Howard is making in the
text. Not everyone found Hullmandel as pleasant to work with as Howard
apparently did- in a letter to J.D. Hooker on March 11, 1844, Charles
Darwin noted that “I believe Hullmandell is a good litho. printer, but I
found him rather troublesome.” I suppose the price of art must always be
paid, and geniuses are often cranky.

Hardcover. 5”x8”, ii, 106 pages, plus 18 lithographed, colored plates.
Publisher’s brown cloth with gilt title; rebacked and with a new cloth
spine; covers with some soil and wear, contents with minor soil and some
scattered light spotting, but overall a nice copy. [09457] $400.00


To see more Recent Acquisitions go to->
<http://www.joslinhall.com/catalog_284.htm>

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JOSLIN HALL RARE BOOKS, ABAA
Fine books of the 16th-20th centuries
on the decorative and fine arts & design

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telephone (413) 247-5080

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