Chromolithography

Map of Toronto

Chromolithography was the first process of printing that allowed for multiple colored prints. The term now means any lithography print that has color. Before the introduction of chromolithography color had been applied after the printing process by hand.

Each plate of stone or metal leaves an imprint of a different color on the page. One plate is used per color; the stones are applied on top of each layer to achieve multiple colors. If the stones are not applied perfectly on top of one another the color can look fuzzy or just generally not right so the process is very tedious and exact.

The inventor of lithography, Alois Senefelder, had written in 1818 about his plans for using colors in his prints and outlined the process that are still in use for chromolithography today. It was not until 1837 that a patent was awarded for the process. The patent was not even given to Senefelder, and much debate surfaced about the whether or not the process had in fact been widely used before the patent was granted.

Originally chromolithography was used to make advertisements or reprints of a painting. Today most chromolithography appears in the form of a fine art due to cheaper printing process that are currently being used for advertisements.  Although at the height of its popularity chromolithography was viewed as a low form of art partial because it’s tricky and precise process made it difficult to reproduce perfectly, today many people enjoy the visual qualities and uniqueness of these prints.