Method of Printing.—The apparatus and articles necessary for printing include: A printing press Printer's canvas A plata-warmer Soft old muslin Printing ink Whitening A printer's dabber Paper A palette knife Printer's blankets Proofs are made from the etched plate in the following manner: After thoroughly clean ing it, first with turpentine and then with a little olive oil, the printer, by means of the dabber, covers the whole plate with thick oily ink, usually of a brownish tint, taking care to fill up the lines. With coarse canvas he then wipes out the superfluous ink from the surface. In that portion of the sketch where a sombre and mysterious effect is desired, he allows a thin film of the ink to remain on the surface of the plate; in another part which should be light, sharp and vivid, he wipes the surface of the plate dry and clean until it shines. In an area where the lines should be soft and he draws the ink out of the lines and over- their edges by means of a piece of soft old muslin. When the plate has been inked and wiped it is laid face upwards on the platform of the press upon which had been first spread several print ing blankets of soft woolen cloth. A dampened piece of Japan paper or vellum is then laid over the plate and covered with more blankets. The press is slowly set in motion, and the plate, cov ered by the paper and blankets, passes under the heavy revolving roller. The pressure causes the inked lines and tones in the plate to be transferred to the paper.
Of all the graphic and plastic arts, the art of etching has always had a profound fascina tion for the true artist, painter or sculptor. When weary of the more exacting arts of paint ing or sculpture, he frequently finds diversion in the joys of handling the copper plate and etch ing needle. Since the early part of the 16th century when etching was originated, has steadily risen into high artistic favor, so that now some of the very greatest names in the art history of England, France, Germany, Hol land, Spain and the United States appear in the list of those who have enriched the world with improvisations in this medium.
Etching in England.— England has pro duced many great painter-etchers. The most significant are Turner, Haden and Brangwyn. In the etchings of J. M. W. Turner (1775 1851) which were published in his (Liber Studiorum,) he makes the same appeal to the imagination as in his famous paintings, by cast ing an indefinable glamor over the bits of nature he interpreted. Technically, he was remark able for having the power of selecting the main lines of a subject which he rendered boldly, depending upon mezzotinting for the delicate tones. Sir Francis Seymour Haden (1818 1913), who was a London physician profes sionally, practised the art of etthing merely as a pastime. Nevertheless, he ranks as one of the greatest of modern landscape etchers. He was very skilful in depicting the poetry of still waters, the movement of clouds, and the beauty of trees, silhouetted against the sky. On purely technical grounds he is incomparable, having in vented several processes which he employed in the production of his works. His masterpieces for which he was knighted by his sovereign are 'The Agamemnon,' 'Whistler's House' and 'Harlech.) Frank Brangwyn, although still a young man, has already won for himself first rank among the British contemporary painters and etchers. His prints of Italian, French and English subjects are famous for vigor of handling, rich blacks, and clever adjustment of tones.
Etching' in France.— France has given the world a legion of etchers, including Claude Lor rain, Delacroix, Daubigny, Jacque, Millet, Jacquemart, Meryon and Legros. But all of these have attained greater fame in painting, with the exception of Meryon and Legros, who rank very high as etchers pure and simple. Charles Meryon (1821-68) etched for the most part the quaint old buildings and streets of Old Paris, depicting them with such depth of poetic feeling that they give one the same over whelming sensation that he experiences in list one day, in a moment of despair, he destroyed some of his most magnificent plates. Finally,
through adverse fortune, he became mentally unbalanced and died in an insane asylum. And now that the master is at rest, some of his proofs sell for thousands of dollars each. Alphonse Legros (1837) has produced etchings ening to Beethoven's 'Heroic Symphony' or in viewing Michael Angelo's Way.' His etchings are indeed the sublime expression of a great and inspired soul. And yet. this rare genius was so little appreciated during his lifetime that his finest proofs sold for only 30 rents each. He took this public indifference much to heart, and which are austere and gloomy in sentiment and simple in execution. His portrait of the sculp tor Dalou and "The Death of the Vagabond') are considered his best prints.
Darer and Etching in Germany.— The great pictorial genius of Germany is Albrecht Diirer (1471-1528) who excelled in painting, engraving and etching. He was among the first to practise the art of etching in which, as in the other arts, he shows himself a man of in tense seriousness, of powerful but somewhat morbid imagination. and of a philosophical turn of mind. His best work in this medium is 'Saint Jerome,' etched in 1512 and now in the British Museum.
Etching in Holland.—The painters of Hol land who also practiced the art of etching are Ostade, Paul Potter, Ruysdxl, Everdingen and Rembrandt Van Ryn (1606-69), the greatest painter and etcher who has ever lived. It is counnon knowledge that he was a great painter, but many are the critics who are of the opinion that he is even greater as an etcher. This "Wizard of the North,p as Rembrandt has been called, was a robust and versatile genius, hav ing such keen powers of observation and great technical skill. that with a few lines he could depict the life history of a human being or the spirit of a landscape. The subiects of his etch legs range from the humble and lowly to the majestic and sublime; from 'A Group of Beg gars) to (Christ Healing the Siclc' ; but in all we feel the same master hand and mind.
Etching in Spain.— The one artist in the history of Spanish art who has especially dis tinguished himself as an etcher .is Francisco de Goya (1746-1828). He was a man of great physical energy and courage,. and an open revo lutionary in religion and politics; but possessed of a morbid imagination. All these personal characteristics found expression in his etchings which he produced in several series. The most noted are 'The Caprices' (80 plates), which have an important philosophical beanng; and
Etching in the United States.— The art of etching in the United States was first practised by William Dunlap about 1830. Since then very many painter-etchers have appeared, including Peter Moran, Farrer, Falconer, Gifford, Smilie, Parish, Church, Bacher, Whistler and Pennell. Of these, Whistler and Pennell have won inter national fame. James A. McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) as an etcher is ranked with Rem brandt and Meryon. His subjects include figure compositions, Holland, Venetian and Paris street scenes and London wharves, which he etched with consummate skill and refinement. Of his street scenes, his most famous are (A Street at Savern) and