Look Mom! No Lines!

“Priscilla,” from Leaflets of Memory. Philadelphia: E.H. Butler & Co., 1849.

Catalog Record (Copy 1) | Enlarged Image | Adopt a Gift Book Home

This charming image of a young lady rolling balls of yarn with the “help” of her kitten was created using mezzotint, a printing process which relies on layers of tonality and not lines to create deep shadows and bright highlights. Sharp-eyed viewers may detect touches of linear engraving used to heighten the sitter’s curls and the edge of the table leg, but mostly the engraver (John Sartain) deftly built up subtle layers of shadows to create the image.

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