170 Notice of the Lithographic Art. 
long. Messrs. Barnet & Doolittle have in their possession, 
a great variety of lithographic prints, which sufliciently 
evince the adaptedness of the art to an elegant as well as com- 
mon style of execution. The finest things done in this 
way are really very beautiful : and they possess a softness 
which is peculiarly their own. Still Lithography is not @ 
rival, itis merely an auxiliary to copper plate engraving, 
which, especially in the higher branches of the art, must 
still retain the pre-eminence which it possesses. 
But the regular introduction of Lithography into this 
country must still be a subject of congratulation; and we 
trust the American public will give this fine art vigor by an 
adequate patronage. 
Lathography.—This art which within a few years has 
made very rapid progress in different parts of Europe, was 
first discovered by Aloys Sennefelder, of Munich, in Bava~ 
ria, a singer in the theatre of that place, and was due to one 
of those fortunate hazards which sometimes so materially 
affect the comforts and well-being of society. 
Mr. Sennefelder, wishing to print some music, and not 
being able to defray the expense of engraving it in the or- 
dinary way, or even to purchase metallic plates for the pur- 
pose, bethought himself of using a species of stones from 
the quarry of Solenhofen, near Pappenheim, in Bavaria, 
and which, in that country, are much used for floors in 
houses, he found these stone plates to answer a tolerable 
purpose as a substitute for metallic ones. 
It was in 1796 that Mr. Sennefelder first attempted to en-— 
grave on stone; and in 1799 he by accident discovered the 
principles of the art now termed Lathography, which con- 
sists in making a drawing on the stone, with a sort of ink, or 
crayon, or both, composed of resinous substances, and of 
printing from that drawing without any other engraving. 
This species of printing is founded on the principles of chem- 
ical affinity. Thus, the stone is wet all over with water, 
that part of the surface which is covered with the drawing 
will not imbibe the water, while the other parts of the stone, 
being wet, repel the ink which is afterwards applied to the 
stone ; thus prepared, an impression is struck off, and the 
Operation repeated as often as may be desired. This meth- 
od has the advantage, over every other species of printing 
of giving exact fac-similes of the original work of the artist ; 
