photochroms
Subject
Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Scope Note: Refers to color photomechanical prints produced as lithographs from photographic negatives. The technique was developed in the 1890s in Switzerland by Hans Jakob Schmid at the company Orell Gessner Füssli, also known as Photoglob Zurich. The technique was introduced at the World Exposition in Paris in 1898 and it was used until ca. 1930s. The technique was one of the more successful attempts preceding color photography to produce color images; indeed, photochroms looks deceptively like color photographs unless viewed with a magnifying glass. A black and white image served as the base and a form of photolithography with as many as sixteen colors was used to make the final image. Photochroms are distinguished from chromolithographs by their hard clear coating. The patented process was licensed to firms in England and America; most photochroms are scenic views of the American West, Europe, and the Middle East. William Henry Jackson and the Detroit Publishing Company were responsible for a large number of photochroms. Captions are often in gold lettering, on the lower portion of the recto, identifying the view and sometimes the maker. The process was labor intensive and time consuming and was replaced by faster and easier techniques.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
William Henry Jackson photochrom collection
Collection
Identifier: Mss 0068
Collection Overview
This collection of 100 chromolithographs includes a representative selection of scenes taken throughout the United States, Canada and elsewhere. The great majority of the images are of landscapes made in Colorado, Montana, and New York State, particularly in Yellowstone National Park and in the Adirondack region. Some images are architectural, including several images of the interior of the Library of Congress and one of the Miles Brewton House ("Pringle House" 27 King Street, Charleston,...
Dates:
1898-1905
Found in:
Special Collections