A brief description of the art of anastatic printing : and of the uses to which it may be applied / as practised by S.H. Cowell, Ipswich, Suffolk ; with full instructions for using the anastatic ink and making drawings for transfer.

  • Cowell, S. H. (Samuel Harrison)
Date:
[between 1860 and 1869]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A brief description of the art of anastatic printing : and of the uses to which it may be applied / as practised by S.H. Cowell, Ipswich, Suffolk ; with full instructions for using the anastatic ink and making drawings for transfer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    * We have thus endeavoured to illustrate and explain some of the purposes to which the Anastatic Art may be applied, and hope to draw the attention of the scientific world to it, that, through their means, the capabilities of the Art, which is now only in- its infancy, may be promoted, and its advantages greatly extended. Directions for using the Anastatic Ink, and Instructions for making Chalk Drawings for Transfer. Take one tea-spoonful of soft water, put it in a saucer, rub down the Anastatic Ink till it becomes tolerably black, so that you can draw a line as dark as the common black ink. It will take ten minutes to rub down, and it is best to make the Drawing with fine open fine work, and where there are deep shadows the lines can be made thicker and closer, but not so close that one line runs into the other. Lithographic Chalk can be used for the shadows and foreground with very pleasing effect, but it must be used very cautiously as the chalk always prints two shades darker than it looks on the Drawing ; the chalk should be touched very lightly upon the paper. Two shades of ink must never be used, as pale ink and black ink print the same shade. It is always best to rub your ink down fresh every day, A Drawing entirely made with Lithographic Chalk, can be transferred and printed, but the dis¬ tances must be made very light and open. For making a Drawing, or writing Music, use the inner face of a sheet of cream wove writing paper, always keeping a surface of clean paper under the hand, and not touching the Drawing or part to be drawn upon with the fingers, but handling the edges, as the moisture on the skin, transferred to the paper, will, come up black when transferred. For fine Drawings, use a fine steel pen, or crow quill; outline with a hard drawing pencil, but do not use India Rubber or bread, as the pencil marks do not print; neither scratch out any false lines, as they can be removed on the plate. For large Drawings it is advisable to use Whatman’s fine drawing paper. The Drawing must not be rolled up till it is perfectly dry. If necessary to send the Drawing by Post, roll it up in a stiff pasteboard case, or flat between two card or millboards, always remembering to place a piece of clean paper next the Drawing. A cake of prepared Anastatic Ink, with ample directions for its use, suitable pens and paper, and a description of the Art and of the uses to which it may be applied, sent free to any part of the kingdom on receipt of 2s. 6d., by P.O. Order or Stamps. Estimates and Specimens on application. Address : S. H. Cowell, Anastatic Printing Office, Ipswich. A resident Artist is employed, when desired, to copy Drawings by Amateur Artists, at a reasonable cost, for Anastatic Printing.