George Baxter

 

(1804-1867)

 

 

Baxter's process for producing colour prints combined relief and intaglio printing. A 'key' plate was prepared, usually made of steel and using any combination of engraving, stipple, etching and aquatint. The key plate provided the main lines of the image and much of the tone, light and shade. Following printing of the key plate, relief blocks were prepared, usually from wood but also from zinc or copper, using impressions of the key plate to create the blocks. Usually one block was prepared for each colour, although sometimes two or more colours or tints were included on the same block, requiring hand inking of each individual area. Each colour was applied and allowed to dry before adding the next colour. Baxter achieved his precise registration by fixing the print over a number of spikes, over which the blocks would also fit.

 

Medium: Chromolithography

 

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