The Invention of Lithography. Alois Senefelder
the history.
Stone-printing has spread so much in recent years that a few certain lithographers could no doubt give satisfactory instruction. But there is only one voice among those who are acquainted with the matter thoroughly, and that is, that Herr Alois Senefelder made not only the earliest but the most numerous and various experiments, and therefore is the foremost man to give instruction.
He is of an upright spirit, and I can assert with full conviction that in this text-book his aim was not only to tell everything fully, but also with the utmost accuracy. Already he has instructed many in the art, trained many others, and thus has learned what are the circumstances that ordinarily hinder the efforts of a beginner.
Even recently, according to his statement and that of Professor Mitterer, whom I consider the best expert in lithography next to Senefelder, there still have been phenomena that surprised lithographers most unpleasantly in the midst of a piece of work, and ruined results as if by witchcraft—cases wherein, in two apparently perfectly similar manipulations, there would not succeed to-day that which had succeeded yesterday, nay, even an hour before. The text-book gives all explanations and remedies for such cases that the wide experiences of Senefelder have made known to him. Therefore, if an artist proceeds exactly according to the instructions given here, and yet meets obstacles, he need merely look for the reason in some small, unnoticed detail or in the quality of his materials. He need not become discouraged, for if he has faith in his faithful and candid teacher, he will attain the goal.
Besides the branches and methods already known and practiced with success outside of Munich, as in Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Berlin, London, Paris, etc., this text-book teaches several methods that had not been made public by the inventor till now; and the fundamental principles of those methods already known are stated here solidly. He gives information also of his most recent attempts to use metal plates as well as the stone paper recently invented by him.
Although the procedure in these two latter methods resembles stone-printing largely, it differs so much in some points from real lithography that Herr Senefelder proposes to publish a work about these processes especially, which may then serve as a supplement to this one.
So may this work go forth in the world under good auspices, to increase the fame of its author, secure for him the respect of all friends of art in and outside of Germany, and become an encouragement for him to dedicate his life further to his greatly promising art and its fullest development!
Honor in rich measure has come to him already through his art. A worldly wise man in his place would have become a wealthy one. That he is not; but our magnanimous King has made him secure against want during his remaining life, and my knowledge of his character assures me that he will utilize this, and any other advantage that may accrue to him in time to come through this work or his art, for perfecting it, and then to train his only son, now five years old, to the art, so that he may practice it in future with honor to his father's name.
Friedrich von Schlichtegroll.
Munich, Easter Day, 1818.
SECTION I
HISTORY OF STONE-PRINTING
PART I
FROM 1796 TO 1800
As my father, Peter Senefelder of Königshofen in Franken, was court actor in Munich, I had ample opportunity in early youth to see and read many theatrical pieces. Thus I developed such a love for this branch of literature and for the theatre that I would have become an actor myself had I been permitted to obey my inclination. But my father, who was determined not to permit any of his children to choose the stage, compelled me to study law. I could satisfy my longings only occasionally by playing a few times in private theatricals and by venturing on a few dramatic writings in my hours of recreation. In my eighteenth year (1789) the question arose, at a gathering of youngsters, as to how we should entertain ourselves in the approaching Carnival time. We decided to give a little private play.
Many pieces were proposed, but none seemed suitable, because each one wished to play a good and suitable part, and, besides, we could not fill most of the parts, as we lacked women. We were almost giving up hope when Herr Kuerzinger, now court actor, proposed to me to write a play, as I had begun one shortly before that happened to suit each of my friends.
I finished the little piece, Die Mädchen Kenner, in a short time. It was ready for production, when through accident we were disappointed about securing the private theatre on which we had counted. We were emboldened to request leave to produce it in the Kurfürst's Court Theatre and succeeded, thanks to my father's aid. The over-kind praise which it won encouraged me to have the play printed. Although I was pretty generous with free copies among my friends, I received so much from Lentner, the book-dealer in Munich, that a net profit of fifty gulden remained to me.
I had not worked eight days on the little thing, and had made all this money, without counting the pleasure of the work. No wonder that now I feared no longer for my future! My love for the theatre became overpowering, and as my father died soon afterward (1791), and I found no further assistance toward completing my studies in Ingolstadt, I resolved to become a dramatic author and actor.
I found no place for me in the Court Theatre. Its leaders were opposed to my family, because my mother with her large family received a larger pension, through the favor of the Kurfürst, than she could have expected in ordinary course. In a few strolling theatres, such as Regensburg, Nürnberg, Erlangen, and Augsburg, where I endured privation and misfortune enough, my enthusiasm was well dampened in the course of two years. I decided, as I could see no other prospects for the moment despite my not inconsiderable attainments, to support myself in future as author.
I had written several dramatic pieces already that had won sufficient applause. Therefore I decided to have some of these printed in order to meet my immediate expenses. I gave one of them to the printing establishment of Herr Hübschmann, in Munich, and when the first folio was finished, I made the proposition to Herr Lentner to take some or all of the copies. He told me that I would have done better to let him have the manuscript; but since it had been begun, he told me to make sure that it be finished before the beginning of the Leipsic Easter Fair, in which case he promised to obtain for me one hundred gulden net, after deducting all costs. I begged Herr Hübschmann to finish the printing, but, as he assured me that it was impossible, I took the remaining folios to another printer. Despite this the play was not printed till two weeks after the fair, and I received from Herr Lentner barely enough to pay the printing cost.
My hope of profit was lost. I had, however, seen the entire procedure of printing, because I had spent many a day in the establishments. I found that it would not be hard for me to learn, and could not withstand the desire to own a small printing establishment myself. "Thus," thought I, "I can print my productions myself, and so alternate healthfully between mental and physical activities." I could earn a decent living, too, and thus become an independent man.
This idea controlled me so that I studied all sorts of ways to realize it. If I had possessed the necessary money, I would have bought types, a press and paper, and printing on stone probably would not have been invented so soon. The lack of funds, however, forced me to other expedients. At first I thought of etching letters in steel. These matrices I planned then to impress on pear wood, in which the letters would show in relief, somewhat like the cast type of the book printers, and they could have been printed like a wood-cut. A few experiments showed me the possibility of this, and I could easily have invented a machine with which the moulding could have been done more quickly than a printer could set his type. I reserve the right to use this possibly fruitful idea in future with improvements. At the time, however, I had to give up the whole thing through lack of implements and sufficient skill in engraving.
Then it struck me that if I had only enough types to set one column or folio,