REPRODUCTION OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



being touched by the ink, and therefore represented by 

 the white paper in the reproduction. With a copper- 

 or steel-plate engraving, however, the hollowed-out 

 lines of the engraving represent the black lines in the 

 finished picture, those hollowed spaces taking the ink 

 from the roller or pad and conveying it to the paper, 

 the surface of the plate not taking the ink. A good 

 example of this kind of engraving is the plate of the 

 ordinary calling, or business card, as anyone may 

 observe by inspecting his plate. 



This kind of engraving is supposed to have been first 

 introduced by a goldsmith of Florence some time in the 

 fifteenth century, although, as noticed before, it was 

 probably used for certain purposes much earlier. It 

 was customary for these metal-workers to bring out the 

 sharp outlines and effects of their carving upon the gold 

 by filling the spaces made by the engraving tools with a 

 kind of black enamel. In this way the beautiful de- 

 signs cut in the metal were sharply outlined by contrast. 

 These engravers, wishing to take impressions of their 

 work from time to time, were in the habit of covering the 

 surface of the engraved metal with some kind of coloring 

 matter, wiping the excess from the surface, and making 

 their impressions by pressing paper over the surface so 

 treated. In this manner it was discovered that designs 

 of the greatest delicacy could be transferred to paper; 

 and from these tentative attempts the process of repro- 

 duction by copper and steel plates finally developed. 



Copper as the softer and more easily workable metal 

 was the one generally employed, but the durability 

 of the steel plate once it was finished made it prefer- 



VOL. VIII. 13 [ I 93 ] 



