Farewell to Reading

The research period at Reading concludes with a deep sense of discovery and appreciation. A notebook now brims with observations, and the mind holds vivid impressions of colours, techniques, and images no longer in circulation. The generosity of access and warm welcome made this one of the most enriching research experiences to date. With sincere gratitude, this visit to the Typography and Graphic Communication collection will remain a lasting and meaningful chapter – and, one hopes, not the final one.

Arundel Facsimiles

 

 

This 1868 chromolithograph measuring 66 × 39 cm is entirely drawn in crayon, with remarkable precision throughout (counted 21 working colours, including gold, one of the most impressive prints of the collection). Fine needle-scratching is visible in the grass, and dense shadows in the foreground contrast with vibrant gold highlights and layered blues.

The interplay of vivid red and yellow-green creates striking chromatic depth, with a richness unattainable by offset printing. Fabrics shimmer with saturated colour; angels' robes feature pastel tones built through multiple layers. Fine pen lines are reserved for contours, while tonal modelling relies on masterful colour superposition – a testament to the print’s manual craftsmanship carried out by The Arundel Society.

Simulating Watercolors

These prints, framed with fine pen-drawn borders and a watercolour wash on the mount, bear the inscription "Cheapside. Printer & Pub by G. Rouciney & Co., London." Executed in crayon, brush, and pen, the chromolithographs are remarkably delicate, carefully crafted to mimic the appearance of original watercolours.

Fine grey lines are gently broken, while deep contrasts emerge from warm reddish-brown and cool grey-blue, overlays creating rich blacks. Lighter tones are brush-printed, and shadows are layered for depth. The result is a masterful illusion – painterly, fluid, and nearly indistinguishable from hand-painted watercolour.

From Sketch to Print

The 1860 calendar clearly shifts from the softness of the original watercolour to the precision and vibrancy of the printed version. Highlights are preserved with gum, especially in white fabrics and fruits, where the paper’s brightness adds contrast.

Details like leaf edges, fabric folds, and fruit stems are refined, while overlapping hens were removed to improve legibility. Typography, composed in tiny Tuscan and sans serif types, contrasts with the pencilled layout of the original. The print emerges as a sharpened, deliberate interpretation – the chromist’s polished response to the painter’s draft.

Prints with Fewer Colours

Among the large-format plates, some stand out precisely for their restrained use of colour. Paris et ses ruines captures the fire drama with delicate brushstrokes protected by gum and scratched highlights revealing figures in backlight. The technique is raw and expressive, aiming for visual impact with a near-journalistic urgency.

The palette narrows to fewer colours in the Views of Murray Street (New York) and the Bernoise Alps prints. The paper's white plays a central role, lighting clouds, snow, and reflections and heightening the contrast between earthy oranges and greenish greys. Skies are rendered in brushwork or crayon; lakes and mountains appear through gum-resist areas, balancing technical restraint and atmospheric presence.

Large Plates

 

Among the large-format prints, Choix d’Études Lithographiées by Julien features a striking portrait with braids printed in black and sepia and delicately hand-watercoloured. Light areas on the dress were preserved with gum masking; the drawing, drawn in crayon, displays directional shading and cross-hatching reminiscent of metal engraving. Hair volume is enhanced through scratched highlights, while skin tones and lips are built with soft washes of pink and orange-yellow. Delicate white retouches bring light to the eyes and diadem.

Wow, these are huge prints! A Clémence-Isaure, 1912, presents a more pictorial treatment. The face and hair are composed through layered stippling in pink, blue, yellow, and grey-brown, with visible brushwork effects in the brows and dress. Highlights were preserved with gum, and shadows in blue and yellow soften the features. The background, textured with crayon in multiple directions, contrasts with the smooth, luminous treatment of the face.

Colour Tablets

The day began with a brief exchange with Sue Walker, who mentioned preparations for a children’s book and noted the rarity of specialists in chromolithography. We spoke of Michael Twyman’s enthusiasm and handwritten colour annotations, particularly moving to compare with my notes.

One proof in the Colour Tablets box features three sets of concentric circles at the base. Michael's annotations wondered whether these function as colour tablets; given their central alignment and target-like form, I suspect they also serve as registration marks.

The cards resemble decorative gift notes, with diagonal line groupings, floral motifs, and two pairs of children breaking through the image frame, creating a sense of layered depth. The circles include outer rings in gold, intermediates in red and blue, and centres in yellow, pink, and brown.

Among the most charming discoveries were six Famous Liebig cards (c. 1890–1930), all sharing a lush 13-colour palette. Skin tones range from soft grey and brown to complex overlays of blue, yellow, pink, and grey for darker complexions. Cheeks glow pink; eyes gleam with touches of blue. Figures — women, a bride, and men in military dress — represent diverse ethnicities, from Arab to Irish, Javanese to Hindu.

One landscape plate, likely from the same printer (Oberthür), uses a near-identical palette with subtle shifts: cooler greys and more neutral tones. Another variant introduces brighter greens and blues, a vivid yellow-pink, and muted sage greys.

Ornament and Fairy Tales

 

  

Highlights included The Treasury of Ornamental Art, with a frontispiece combining reddish-brown print, yellow-orange watercolour, and blue pencil, and typographic elements drawn in negative. Its introduction references photographic colour reproduction, suggesting a post-1885 date.

Loose plates from the 1904 Fairy Tales of Perrault show consistent palettes with crayon textures, stippling, and penwork. The Fauna Palaearctica supplement offers 14 butterfly plates in browns and blacks, drawn with pen and stipple.

Segui’s posters feature typographic black, while one Treasury plate includes gold and purplish-blue. I was happy to see the annotations on the reverse of various plates made by Twyman, indicating colour counts, just like I am doing. I closed the day with notes from Reading’s children’s book catalogue.

Natural History Plates

 

The colour plates box included Transactions of the Entomological Society of London (1912), featuring fifteen butterfly plates. Plates 1 to 5 share a warm, earthy palette, with crayons and penwork, and plate 5 stands out for its striking orange-red hue. Most were drawn in crayon, while some plates included pen and brushwork. I also examined Proceedings of the Zoological Society (1882–1884), which contains over twenty hand-watercoloured bird plates engraved in crayon with exceptional precision and luminosity, notably in the reds and yellows. Some details were incised with a needle, revealing layered washes and meticulous ink application. The 1882 sets of butterflies and moths combine crayon lithography, pen drawing, and hand colouring, often with eight or more colours per plate, including silver. Despite some coloured pencil retouching that softens the outlines, the chromatic richness and painterly texture remain remarkable. Other plates depict shells, lizards, bats, and mammals, with a similarly varied and elaborate technique.

Progressive Proofs

In the paired chromolithographs of young women – one before a mirror, the other winged by the shore – I began identifying colour layers using a magnifying glass and my chromatic scale based on Universal Colour Language. Each image employs eight plates: seven colours plus a key line. The initial drawing reveals refined stippling and hatching to define shadows and foliage. Flesh tones are built through layered applications of pale pink, blue, and soft orange, producing subtle greys and depth through optical mixing. Contours vary in weight to suggest light and volume. Hair, foliage, garments, and sky are modelled through superimposed textures, with techniques ranging from crayon-like stippling to Benday screens. Gum masking reserves highlights, while a ninth tone – a yellowish white – appears in select areas. The overall impression is of painterly delicacy, with a sunset palette evoking translucency, atmosphere, and finely modulated contrast.

Encyclopaedic plates

The encyclopaedic natural history prints are a particularly captivating part of the collection. Some were produced by the Zoological Society of London, though they are not chromolithographs – instead, they are hand-watercoloured, crayon-drawn, and printed in black, dated from 1855 to 1888. I spent a considerable time studying these plates and admiring the delicacy of their drawings. It is fascinating to compare them with the butterflies' chromolithographed plates, as each reflects its approach to line and colour, shaped by the subject it seeks to portray.

Second Meeting with Twyman and Gathering of the Ephemera Society

Michael and I spent the morning examining the large prints in the map drawers, marking those I wished to study further during my stay. They are truly remarkable, some measuring nearly 80 cm. Michael drew attention to a set of watercolour reproductions, which he suggested might be helpful in my identification process.

We discussed my research methods. He advised that, in the long term, it would be essential for me to concentrate on the output of a single printer in Brazil – a focus I have already begun to pursue. He kindly shared further materials from his personal cataloguing files to help me navigate the collection more effectively throughout my research.

We examined the Album of Colour Printing – of which the archive holds two copies – by Alf Cooke, 'chromolithographer to the Queen’, who claimed in 1885 to have owned one of the largest lithographic houses in the world. 

Another interesting piece was a crayon-drawn papier-mache plate from 1882. I inquired about how printing was achieved on the plate’s curved surface. Michael believes the impression was made while flat, then moulded into form, and finally coated with a finish to enhance its refinement.

Before we parted, he asked whether I was familiar with all the techniques employed in chromolithography for identification purposes. He mentioned Tinted Lithography – one of the most elusive to detect – and reminded me that any doubt should be resolved through consultation with his 1970 publication. We said our goodbyes and took a few photographs together.

  

In the afternoon, the Ephemera Society hosted a gathering for visiting researchers. Dr Emma Minns gave a charming collection presentation, highlighting the Maurice Rickards holdings and pointing out several 19th-century pieces, including flea circus posters, Siamese sisters, and prodigious pets notices.

 

Afterwards, Prof. Sue Walker introduced us to the recently reopened printing studio, which now houses a range of historic presses, including a huge model of Senefelder's press.

  

    

Meeting Professor Michael Twyman

 

Here I am, at the University of Reading, being welcomed by Professor Michael Twyman and introduced to his collection of chromolithographs – a dream come true. 

We began by looking at a few items he had brought from his private collection: illustrated magazines in various printings, The Boys Own Annual, a magazine with a chromolithographed insert at the beginning, and small sentimental gift books. We then proceeded to the archive, where we examined a selection of chromolithographs for domestic stained glass. After that, we viewed three books containing progressive proofs.

He recommended reading Instructions in the Art of Lithography, in which two proofs repeat the same shade of blue. Then we saw the box of progressive proofs, the machine-stepped images (which we had seen during our first encounter at SHARP 2024).

We then looked at the first record of a chromolithograph printed by a steam press. Michael noted how important it is to acknowledge the work of Jean Engelmann, son of Godefroy, who printed in five colours – a true paradigm shift in the 1840s. We concluded with a selection of rare prints in coloured intaglio and chromotypography.

The most exciting moment was when Michael showed Chute des Remparts de Jéricho, based on Jean Fouquet, printed by Lemercier in 1867. It is 5.7 m long, has 16 colours, and has 32 progressive proofs. It is breathtaking!

Welcome to Reading

 

On my first research day, I was welcomed by the assistant curator, Dr Emma Minns, who shared the library's cataloguing files with me and explained the scanning and copying system. After activating my institutional email, I returned to the library and began mapping the books of particular interest to my research.

 

I started my readings with Tempting the Palette: A Survey of Colour Printing Processes by David Pankow. Of course, Twyman's A History of Chromolithography is here to be my guide and my bible. The most fantastic news was that the last issue of the Journal of the Printing Historical Society, published in 2024, was entirely dedicated to Twyman. It celebrated his 90th anniversary with seven unpublished recent papers, two on chromolithography.