Evening star. [volume], December 16, 1902, Page 9, Image 69

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
PICTURES INTHE PRESS
Origin and Growth of News
paper Illustration.
ART IN PRINTERS' INK
PROGRESS FROM CRUDE WOOD
CUT TO THE HALF-TONlE.
Mechanical Process Described - The
Line Drawing-Etching on Zinc
-Function of the Cartoon.
By Will i1. Chandlee.
A pictorial siwlling book is one of the
earlh st and dearest recollections of my
chilid hood. It was rather an indifferent
specimn n typographically. The letters were
larg and heavy. particularly the capitals.
At the head of each page was a woolly
wood cut engrav(d in the good old Bewick
style. verv ster and respectable. Under the
pictures were short,
.rse Feitieces relat
ng ther to. srch as
John has a t w
op." "The cat is on
.e i.at."."Sce the
lat pig." ( tL. NIy
favorite of -he lot
was a hen and her
Sro o d . With the
nery. TCan you see
the bin and her
chicks?' In the light
of more m a t u r e
years the absurity
of the p:es on is
erldent, for the L.en
a . h lneir ally large
Will H. C'andlee. ini thhiks occu
;I- a verI eV..i4nous position in the im
1: ' for. gr. H l.
1 w ti appreciate the lit
) r die f the l.kr evfn spell
10 v .h t th .1 p rs :1hd mY
y Ul n ;h j %. I wouhi p.r o,.er themn
FIi' o 1 Wilir itC, u0 1r th
by M a~o: or am f ih mi at night. i
LaeI w1. J n a !. g )r -! in h.s new top.I
I i t . h i l g ,L t I nh n h e i r ' d m e :
!w.a to su I r f I 1 1.i h i n - i
-foiwy aog tI; h over t hi.i w.xh i
w;l J ! b.hin i; i i n th - p ct r. I p 0
phl th lw-r m, ilhe at the 'dg' of
the ditat w - wi b th m nwrs of his
fimily. Th) wer a.l .nhabia:ts of the
spil ing hti *k.
His grandrnoth r. with a kit en p!avi g
nI I ou !: r f %e , 1 ', : nd y on th pag !
ppitre .Ih aol II s haby br :hr, wih
p lf , V . . ' hit a1- i att.e nair the
!I d f Iher It N a:n at .f mere d
r: pti n n - i : a l' ! zin Iih ng t t l
lieI'rs. Th: y .1 'i ir nn stry. whi.h
Is tb .' , h lI ::tins.
A a chil i able to un 1,rstanl ant
riogire the pieare of a cw lang he
f -r the rrilnt d worl cony S lVn man
Ing to him, co ian in the c hil hood of -
-. idation un hr. t'd an.1 communicat(7d
hii ideas to n fellows by ch:Lracters or cor
drawIngs of objects as in the hieroglyphics bor
of the ancient Egyptians.
Prehistoric Pictures. D
In the caves of France, man of the stone the
age his i ft fragmenits of his history In gla
rile draiwings on the horn of the mam- ci:
moth and other then existing anina's- bet
'Tlh pie:ure wkr-iting; of anwlnt Gry. ce are
p . rI ti u, i many a dtelieate vase Thi
ani.i ;:.ira. and the di!y life of Pompeii, div'
the tragi. is d, iet I in the r# mains of its nee
wail p otings anl frcsco d corations. kn
, he pla!is itidiants of oir own country
1ave for ages record di tht ir successes or con
faiiures In war ail the chase by pictur- I'
Ing thl m in color upon buffalo hides or sol
6 1 rskins, and the innuit or Eskimo of the pla
fir i;rt h kt ps L t ,y of his sk al hunts and ove
c. voy: ) ' ny Cirving- In Ivory. age
DI lid Is aut hrlty for the statement dra
that the Chise printed pictures from wit
THE ABT I
wrooden blockis ns early as 1120 B. C. and wor
the Itallans 1:?N A. 1). e
The~ Germanls were printing relgious pte- iieas
tures in the early part of the fifteenth een- TI
tury. rnnd Finigeerra. the FlorentIne, tood: whh
impressitns frito cohper pilates in 1461-pro
Bottleli also gave much attin nion t~ cop has
per pl it,' engravin. and since the days of dalil
Albrecht Doter and the Italian renaissancel wers
Illustration has gradually gained the atten- ng
tion and claimed the s'ervices of the great- is
est mind. in the world of art, until today or
artist and illustrator are one and inter- oi
changeable. Edwin A. Abbey. whose ma&s- Thn
terly decorations of th2 "Quest of the Holy bric
Grail" are in the Bloston Public Library. coat
and who was commissIoned to paint the past
coronation of King Edward VII of Englandga
wrn but a few years ago simply an illus -_lg
trator in black and white.wh
The monthly magazine was the pioneer of tool,
~pular lillustrations in America. Godey's ter
dies' Book will be remembered for its blo1
elaborate steel-engraved frontispieces and ort
tithographed folders in color of the fearful lng
and wonderful feminine fashions of the post- this
benlum peidnal.so ts. diagams for te fac
fa
e" stitch
W a r -i
uaty
ilutrtdpr . O
* th s tatig and the r i ring.
n tihe waaiteecuagmntoi-r
ualiy m ofstluforteartist mus t
dsn sumt hisi wrt the "egaery who th
ventonal
Illtherare pituesper Onf 'h1's regmets tof
ices patnts seaher oocts and fason- u
te throes chae han ubren maeIn
rI the sruht indelt of outrnur
daliy af fautleslyt atttofmuertwit
In swutor od poting a the fohrero I C
w a-timne dealyustrtat n-ts.
h tho the war pictures of todaly. ws t
illurstrnatet nesaher. botn habt o
lxe toites churlewd utsboe appre-s
.e the proughesstnd ha benry. mad
I the sari fandltlel lettie oficesrtg
s sbmit pisnworktorthewenr , o ir
hn thon arth.
thewarpicure of'Gl'C5regmens bo
h to Dtahle, ryr Sicturevogeoda ted
intn tedfeecisovosothe
t om. tiv
e rapidity and absolute accuracy with un
h a drawing or photograph can be re-th
been the making of the Illustrated t
papers. At first the picturesre
very crude, seldom more than merere
lines." They were made by what.
nown to the "craft" . as the "mud,, ac
halk-plate process, which is now used a
for occasional map or diagram work.
making of cuts in this manner Is o
ly as follows: A steel plate is thinly * li
ed with a fine white clay or kaoi n13m
e. When this dries it is ready for en- o
ing. The design to be cut Is traced
tly upon the surface of the clay, aftef
:h it is cut through with the prope1 an
Sto the hard surface of the steel. Af
the loose clay dust has been carefully 'I
rn out of the cuts made by the graver gri
aol. the plate is placed In an iron cast- gi
box and molten metal poured thereon: dTr
filis the engraved lines down to the fir
of the steel plate. When the metal sul
6I
Lop
tw
'I SEE iorHINC AsoUr "GMEE tA-w,* 4
'II
tA IgST
M Vs THIS BE fTHE RE31EDYI
ols It to removed from the clay, trimme
d mounted and is ready for printing.
rhis mode of engraving Is known by man3
mes, but the principle Is the same. Oi
p various methods of photo-engravin
lc etching is t-he one nlmost exclusivel:
ed In modern newspaper illustrating.
The Line Drawing.
After the drawing to be reproduced li
ade by the artist It Is photographed IT
e ordinary way-that is, a glass negativ4
ma de.
rhis negative Is then thickened and Iri
naified by chemical treatment until whez
NEARTCES .A
oeqi sremovied fro he caed tihmae
rhsmdesofiengrit ihrowant by ano
Li. bhe ssnaive is thaed ovme. 0h
cetcnd i the opun ams eprintingfae
o ed Linte Du .rwhncenra
~.fter th dfewinto esreprodued eg
ae byrmve n the tini plooatisphaed
erdarap waheatumen raily wrahes
me.p hr thsbe adndb
acioneofathe igh throu thickene andf
daing by cheia tneatvetuti h
nd othe words, the ogarawin atth
goducedrawing apers ine foelaine. in.
he surfae. pa se ofe plshed zin c
-dequor tray s ex conagaath ofwitra
de anszd w.Th acdeatte eofedo
The ofithe ineglatving pnacd over tline
th adrawhng whepich a prtinge byrthe
eras of areedti glaihthee e
in i reoed andar the rinltig plrace
rathepf.nThe cut.mey thred ofsen
exiep awdoenr itr cuts been arene byd
actionro the rlsih othugl theanec
drwn The nalfTive.
herprces uo thekinc in geaftne lies.
'hvin (pnl.ate irtenyfo pa photo
th drwingou whihe rteten by the
ugstrman) of hadenedca ineh theseoreo
exepna in reliefatterr the printingfc
ade or tsecuress iy somthoing l-as ex
(11
T1
-- r r
'ou
It
SDAy
IS
i rmely fine screen between the sensitized
negative plate anti the object to be photo
r graphed. This cuts the surface of the plate
E in cross-l-Ines of light and shade as these
t val-ues appear in the original.
r it Is then subjerled to the acid bath And
Ietched in th- usuil manner. The half-tone
In t-he last few years has, to a large extent,
superseded the line cut. which is now used
I chiefly In the larger daily papers for the
I drcorative borders or emnhe'llshments which
surround tihe groups of photographs, and In
many of the Sunday supplements are print
-ed In colors.
I Color printing Is a comparatively recent
1 2 -
atiol i cen toe the atscemelsenitizof
negativespater and the oaretyt eposob
fgraphed eTuiio cut the so-'caled omth pt
ilnt.ross-is ofyet ncrde sae, a s .
vales parm in teeigwiththa vret.o
T Is thportancer of to he aoo bathrandy
Pachedi the atost amngr the half-nes
inary ajnt fyarht a lasppreuepment.
chiely n th laer Thie paroo for th
suroun th grupsofshotoraphe, gaph- in
-e editoriaolons.
1 &Colr riningLua cmeratveysene ta
Dorigina(Haunctoon).
addiion o th artsti embellstin o
he nwspaer, nd t larel thesonie-1
fortheebulilonof jg olleh inm tsupg-n
pleent itis et acres estate, when ist. e
in harmnious 'epin s it tovriy oim te
humo irohIt sualy lymiated dietyi
Car tos.acetpoo
he imporance of t e iton turallypu
garyadjnctsof nesar equfpmbncur
The carton i or u)
ashrdb a grax
planatorialnote
aser snstue- ot
orlgnal unctony.
In carooningthe t ths theng afer- gt
AM&te the eartoen
The ~ of of he
yeffsmt to ONNOVIUOe Is tawon
smabiwed Ing uft oa Tamsa asS
- is Weiny whi a
~ ~.~Z W the as4ami of the
a te nta=1 deathi of the laft- Jame G.
Too often the weapon of the eartoonist
a used unjustly. and although Its ultimate
Mefots may be far more than was Intended.
he milsehief to started with the little
nowball which accumulates and grows
ntil its victim is overwhelmed at the foot
>f the hill. The cartoon policy of The
3tar has been to respect the rights and
eelings of the individual, and to confine
ts shafts as far as possible to the punctur
ng of public bogls and institutional gall
1pots.
The Star's First Picture.
The first picture published in The Star
was a cartoon. It was many years, before
dr. Felix Mahony. the paper's present
artoonist. ever thought of wielding a car
oonic pen or pencil-on a time when the
)resent day Old Subscriber and Veritas
were playing hookey and fishing for mul
ets in old Tiber creek.
The theme of the cartoon was an ad
ournment of Congress for the Christmas
iolidays.
In The Star's columns at that time was
vont to appear a little cut used to attract
tention of the casual reader to advertise
nents for run-away slaves. Since 1898
dr. Mahony's cartoons have been an al
nost daily feature of the front page of
'he Star, a fe-it which can only be ap
ireciated by one who knows the joys and
orrows of the cartoonist's life. The dark
lays which come when there is noth
ng to cartoon. the difficulties which in
'ariably surround the picturing of the most
imely subjccts. and whmn. at last, the car
oonist furnishes his picture and says to
imself, "That's pretty good," to be but
onholed by a friend on the morrow, who,
Vi.
th anxious face and tearful eyes, prays
>r an explanation.
General il'ustration became a feature ofJ
he Star in I886, since which time the pa-(
er has sailed a safe middle course in that t
gard; believing that where a picture can
s made to supplement the text or add le-a
timate interest to a story it should ber
ied, avoiding bloated and over-decorated I
inday, or, in The Star's case. Saturdaye
litions; art supplements of questionable e
tistic value and inflamed comic se ti .ns,
hose brillianov is more chromatic than in
lectual, eschewing elaborate "layouts"
--full Dages of grouped pictures and i.- L
imitated with Intermittent spots of frag
entarv text. In fine. holding to the prin
pie that a few good pictures are superio~r d
Smany poor ones, and that a newspaper a
not or should not be an illustrated maga- si
ne' ' d
Kodern Newspaper Illustrating. e:
bodern newspaper illustrating is one of w
e notabje products of the last twenty a
arm, altshough in 188l5 the New York h
erald printed a map of the burnt district fi
the great fire of that year, together with bl
view of the old Merchants' Exchange. It1
1838 were depicteid in the same paper I 1
phic scenes at the polls, and the famous a
"E1g bNsa at 00 rw -ThSwt
E en=m-m with e 164tal delasMes
Ot G0161 hals en 3 a pioerlal view
Was ives of the .4e.SU... a upba6 &
un sana. 0sntroom.the et
ort. of the Ki" the Alhay Evesiag
News and others emdeavrimg to de
moulak 1t enterprIes by claiming=f that I
the picture had already dons duty at I
Victoria's coronation. General Harrison's
funeral and the Caten water oelebra
UtIo. The arst Illustrated daily In AmerIca
was the New York Graphic, flrat published a
March 41873 Its plcturws were of current
Vents dwn in pen and Ink and photo
graphed on stone, from which the pictures
were reproduced, and the descripve and
other reading matter was printed afterward
from the ordinary presses. The Graphic
was discontinued In 1889. at which time the
photo-engraving on metal plates, capable of
being printed with the body of the paper.
madle possible the illustrating of the regular
ialliea.
Tres in Kansas City.
Promn Park and Cemetery.
Kansas City is now setting an up to date
example for our western ,cities In the care
of Its trees. It has secured the services of
a properly qualified city forester, and has
passed ordinances regulating the planting.
trimming and care of its trees In such
terms and under such provisions that its
citizens will realize their Importance and
the necessity of conforming to them In a
wise and co-operative spirit. The press is
aiding in the work to a very appre-clable
degree, and the result will be that in a few
years those who once knew the energct-c
city in its practically treeloss condition will
marvel at the change so wiSe and beneficial I
a program has brought about. It Is always
well said that when the people are educated I
to. the degree of recognizing the importance I
of rules and regutions of practical neces
sity they are at once loyal to theni. But to
reach this point the requisite knowledge
must be conveyed in a comprehensib:e and I
sions of Christmas
ttractive manner, which comparatively b
ew public officials are capable of doing. a
'he press communications of the Kansas fi
lity tree official, and the advice and direc- ti
Ions emanating from his office, however, 03
indicate him In this respect, and afford ex- a
mples of lessons to the public which re- a
lad us of works of P--of. Collins of the n:
rooklyn Tree Planting Society, which has a
xtended so promising atn influence In the ir
ast. Ii
People Who Are Too Early. r
aey Onslaw In The Queen.
Tiresome as the guests are who spoil a -
nner and keep all their fellow-guests H
'alting twenty minutes longer than neces
try, thus prolonging the dreary before- II
inner Interval, I think one feels even more cI
casperated, from a hostess' point of vIew.,I
ith those who come too early. While the "
nxious giver of the fEast Is hurrying Into
er dinner dress, It Is trying to hear a peal Sa
t
-om the hall-door bell a quarter of an hour at
Efore the earliest expectation. announcing eg
e advent of the first arrival, who must be at
niled upon and conversed with, in spite of -
ggrieved fee-lngs. B
L thaastI limna-- et do Yew maa
in Abet to aom
%em Werwe Wer.
As the end of the year draws *rb we
may congratulate ourselves that It will
eave the world in much better plight than
t found it. When it began there was war
a South Africa and there were trouble
ome hostilities in the Philippines. -Nw
ieace is broken. if broken at all, only by
ne unrest in Venesuela add Colombla and
n. Hayti, that follows their revolutione,
.nd in Africa, where the "Mad Mullah" has
tttacked the British. And not only Is the
world at peace, but the great nations are
nore securely linked together. perhaps,
han they ever were before. New fores
or peace are at work, especially two of
he strongest poesible world influences; an
rganized and closely knit commerce,
which none can afford to disturb for fear
f a lasting loss of trade, and, in particular,
he overwhe:ming commercial power of the
7nIted States, which would gain a still
Purer lead by the suspension of industrial
LctivIty in any important country. The
ittle pertootcal 'anjustments of power and
if privilege tnat the nations used to make
)y special treaties were crude and weak
tuarantees of peace in comparison with
he compelling power of modern commerce
ind all that it Implies. The most recent
wars wei - really only frontier wars.
Men without historical knowledge easily
oelleve tha-t their own era is a new era in
he wor:d. But men with historical knowl
dge now see international conditions that
tre radically different and radically better
or pEace than any of the battered cen
uries behind mn knt w. The unfettering of
he uominant race of men by free institu
ions to frce cpportunity on the most fruit
ul continent. and the industrial rise of the
epubLic. fortifyir.g its political p 'wer. have
>ut all nations in a rew relation .:> one an
ither amd in a --w relatk.n t c'vilizaton.
'his revolutJenary fact has become plainer
his 3ar than it evcr was btfore. Its far
eaching significance we do not yet ee4
ait it looks like a great force that wilt
ork for the steadying of governments and
ir the sane direction of endeavor for cen
iries to come. For it is the natural result
a great law of human development and
>t an advantage won by the strength of
-mics or by the skill of ..iplomatists or by
iy other power that may change with
change of rulers and of generations. The
C. tstria man becomes stronger, the po
ical man weaker; and economic corce is
ginning to rule the world as military
Irce once ruled it.
Zoological Gardens Criticised.
mury ~Sephe-as in the Saturday Review.
The periodical feeding of the pythba on a
re goat at the Zoological Gardens is a pro
ss marked at times by very disgusting
cidents: and the question is being asked
Ey these reptiles should not be fed on
-wly killed and still warm carcas in
ead of living anirmals. The rigid secrecy
ith which the managers of the Zoo have
tempted to conceal from public knowi
ge the repulsive tragedy of the python
td its goat is an indication that all is not
" tould be in the "Bastille of the
ats."