STIPPLING. 477 



passed through rollers, so as to leave an impression in the 

 soft metal. The electrotype then comes into play, exact copies 

 of the impression being taken by it. As the face of the 

 electrotyped plate is covered with a slight deposit of some 

 hard metal, usually nickel, a great number of copies can be 

 taken without damaging the plate. 



A wonderfully exact parallel to Nature -printing is seen in 

 almost every coal bed. In the coal are found impressions 

 of various leaves, mostly ferns, and so exact are they, that the 

 different species have been determined and named with as much 

 accuracy as if, instead of mere impressions, they had been the 

 fern-leaves themselves. 



Indeed, if it were needed, it would be perfectly easy to take 

 electrotype plates from these impressions, and to treat them in 

 exactly the same manner as those obtained in the way which 

 has already been described. 



Stippling. 



We now come to another branch of Art, namely, the produc- 

 tion of shadow in an engraving by means of Stippling, i.e. the 

 insertion of dots instead of lines. At one time the Stipple was 

 in great favour. Then it was almost wholly abandoned in 

 favour of the line, and now it is much used in conjunction with 

 the line, especially for the delicate shading of flesh tints, such 

 as faces, female arms, &c. 



In the illustration a little stippling of a cheek is shown, the 

 dots being purposely exaggerated. 



A singularly beautiful modification of the Stipple is now in 

 use. When the engraver wishes for exceptional softness of 

 shading, he does not content himself with mere dots, but, with 

 the aid of his magnifying- glass, converts each dot into a tiny 

 star with three or more rays. Thus the dots seem to melt into 

 each other, and the requisite softness is obtained. 



A very good example of this star-stipple is seen in the well- 

 known print called " Coming of Age." If the face and neck 

 of the girl in the foreground be examined with a magnifying- 

 glass, the apparent dots will be seen to be stars, so beautifully 

 arranged that the projecting rays of one fuse themselves, so to 



