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Anonymous
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I found this metal photo (tim plate) in a small town of Coopville in Washington state. Can anyone tell me anything about the process, how old it could be and how to clean it without damaging it. Thanks
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...when you look at the image very closely with a magnifying glass is it made up of little etched dots as on a printing plate?
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Seattle Dave
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Anonymous
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I finally found out what the picture is, it appears to be a type set picture. It is usually mounted on a wooden block and fits in a printers type set box. Used in printing newspapers and magazines.
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Anonymous
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Since a printing press can only print "black or white" not shades of grey, the image is composed of dots to fool the eye. This is called a halftone and was perfected in 1886.
The image that you see has been etched by acid into the copper. You can clean the plate with soap and water with no fear of damaging the image as long as you do not use abrasives or inedvertantly scratch it.
From the link below. This site is about the printing of baseball items but gives and excellent summary of the history of printing techniques from engraved wood blocks to photoengraved plates like the one you found.
>>>>Halftone Printing: realistic pictures
The following discussion of the halftone printing process is jumping ahead, as it was not widely used until the late 1880s.
As the early prints used lines to make images they could not be detailed enough to look realistic. The invention of the halftone process replaced lines with dots. This allowed for much more detail. While halftone can't produce the quality and detail of a real photograph, it can make a realistic representation. This process is used today to make pictures including for newspapers, magazines and books. If you look closely at a picture in today's image is made up of tiny dots. The smaller and closer together the dots, the more detailed the image. This process could be applied to both the relief printing and lithography. Halftone applied relief printing is called photoengraving. Photoengraving is used to make images in newspapers. Halftone applied to lithography is called photolithography. This is used to make color art posters and baseball cards such as Goudeys and Topps. Your printer at home or the Xerox at work uses the halftone process to make images.
In the mid-1880s into the early 1890's newspapers replaced woodcuts with half-tone images. By the mid 1880's some tobacco cards used halftone lithography. As the technology was still new, the images were not of the quality of today's. Pictures in 19th century newspapers were coarse in detail. Early halftone lithography, in particular, was not realistic. This lithography couldn't create detailed dots. It was also more readily applied to artistic images where realism was not the prime intent. However, any print will be revealed to be halftone by its dots.<<<
The image that you see has been etched by acid into the copper. You can clean the plate with soap and water with no fear of damaging the image as long as you do not use abrasives or inedvertantly scratch it.
From the link below. This site is about the printing of baseball items but gives and excellent summary of the history of printing techniques from engraved wood blocks to photoengraved plates like the one you found.
>>>>Halftone Printing: realistic pictures
The following discussion of the halftone printing process is jumping ahead, as it was not widely used until the late 1880s.
As the early prints used lines to make images they could not be detailed enough to look realistic. The invention of the halftone process replaced lines with dots. This allowed for much more detail. While halftone can't produce the quality and detail of a real photograph, it can make a realistic representation. This process is used today to make pictures including for newspapers, magazines and books. If you look closely at a picture in today's image is made up of tiny dots. The smaller and closer together the dots, the more detailed the image. This process could be applied to both the relief printing and lithography. Halftone applied relief printing is called photoengraving. Photoengraving is used to make images in newspapers. Halftone applied to lithography is called photolithography. This is used to make color art posters and baseball cards such as Goudeys and Topps. Your printer at home or the Xerox at work uses the halftone process to make images.
In the mid-1880s into the early 1890's newspapers replaced woodcuts with half-tone images. By the mid 1880's some tobacco cards used halftone lithography. As the technology was still new, the images were not of the quality of today's. Pictures in 19th century newspapers were coarse in detail. Early halftone lithography, in particular, was not realistic. This lithography couldn't create detailed dots. It was also more readily applied to artistic images where realism was not the prime intent. However, any print will be revealed to be halftone by its dots.<<<
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Steve
Question, what in the image made you go the halftone route? Just curious.
Have a GREAT day & HH.
SteveC
Question, what in the image made you go the halftone route? Just curious.
Have a GREAT day & HH.
SteveC
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Anonymous
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...the wood (called furniture) that it is mounted on is typical of the way old printing plates were mounted to be placed with the typeset letters.
...the copper colour in the background (as in the pic of the plate I posted). As you mentioned, Daguerreotype photos are mirror smooth and are silvery from the plating. I wasn't sure on this, as I have dug lots of silver plated spoons where the silver has corroded away to the copper alloy below, and thought it was possible that the same thing might happen to a Daguerreotype.
...the dots in the image are a dead give-away that it is a printing plate. That's why I asked.
Steve, you've been posting lots of great info and links! Great fun, eh? Thanks and keep up the good work! <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt="
">
...the copper colour in the background (as in the pic of the plate I posted). As you mentioned, Daguerreotype photos are mirror smooth and are silvery from the plating. I wasn't sure on this, as I have dug lots of silver plated spoons where the silver has corroded away to the copper alloy below, and thought it was possible that the same thing might happen to a Daguerreotype.
...the dots in the image are a dead give-away that it is a printing plate. That's why I asked.
Steve, you've been posting lots of great info and links! Great fun, eh? Thanks and keep up the good work! <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt="
">
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Steve
Thanks for the reply, more bits of knowledge to tuck away for future reference. Also for the kind words regarding my posts, I try and help out when I can.
Yes it is quite fun trying to figure out what something is and seeing if you can find any information on it. It has really amazed me just how much and varied and far ranging the information on the Internet is.
Additionally, aside from helping someone out I really enjoy the fact that it causes me to expand my own little universe, which seems to continually try and implode converting itself into a black hole. <img src="/metal/html/biggrin.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt="">
Have a GREAT day & HH.
SteveC
Thanks for the reply, more bits of knowledge to tuck away for future reference. Also for the kind words regarding my posts, I try and help out when I can.
Yes it is quite fun trying to figure out what something is and seeing if you can find any information on it. It has really amazed me just how much and varied and far ranging the information on the Internet is.
Additionally, aside from helping someone out I really enjoy the fact that it causes me to expand my own little universe, which seems to continually try and implode converting itself into a black hole. <img src="/metal/html/biggrin.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt="
">Have a GREAT day & HH.
SteveC
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Anonymous
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Ha! I couldn't have said it better, Steve. Must be a Steve thing. <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt="">
Gosh the internet really and truly is getting amazing. A big change in just the last couple years. Do you remember trying to do research through the file cabinents of library cards and the stacks of books? The only problem is the information is so transient and stuff that is here today can diappear tomorrow.
I get a kick out of tracking down a mystery whatzit, but sometimes the most interesting stuff is the stuff you find by accident along the way. Kinda like standing in a river and being able to drink a mouthful at a time as it flows by. It's a big world and not nearly enough time in one life time, is there?
">Gosh the internet really and truly is getting amazing. A big change in just the last couple years. Do you remember trying to do research through the file cabinents of library cards and the stacks of books? The only problem is the information is so transient and stuff that is here today can diappear tomorrow.
I get a kick out of tracking down a mystery whatzit, but sometimes the most interesting stuff is the stuff you find by accident along the way. Kinda like standing in a river and being able to drink a mouthful at a time as it flows by. It's a big world and not nearly enough time in one life time, is there?
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It may well be a
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Funny when ya think about it.... All Mikes and Marks are straight up guys, while Rons and Dons can be a little funny at times. Joes and Dans are solid and down to earth, and Teds and Freds are a steady lot. All Arts are a piece of Art, while Glens just can't help being Glens. Garys and Charlies are good hearted chaps, and you can always count on a Jim or a John to be there when they say they will. Have you ever met a Wayne that wasn't a Wayner, or lord help us all, a Wally that wasn't a Wally? Royals? Well, Royal is one of a kind.... <img src="/metal/html/biggrin.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt="">
But none of them are like the Order of Steves. Heck we even have a secret handshake and our own patron saint--Steve McQueen....
So tell me, Brother Steve, are you from the "v" or the "ph" branch? <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt="">
">But none of them are like the Order of Steves. Heck we even have a secret handshake and our own patron saint--Steve McQueen....
So tell me, Brother Steve, are you from the "v" or the "ph" branch? <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt="
">
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From the
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HH
Stephen(CAN) <img src="/metal/html/wink.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt="">
Stephen(CAN) <img src="/metal/html/wink.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt="
">