British Printmakers, 1855-1955

An examination of developments in British printmaking which started in the middle of the 19th century with the Etching Revival and continued into the middle of the 20th century with the experimental work carried out at Corsham and St Ives in the 1950s. During this period, printmaking came to be regarded as a direct means of artistic expression rather than a means of reproduction. Chapters are devoted to: wood engraving; etching; lithography from 1875 to the 1920s; the colour woodcut; the linocut; modern lithography; the poster-print; the monotype; and St Ives. The main emphasis in these essays is the development of printmaking techniques throughout the century, as new techniques enabled artists to develop their ideas and expression. This approach avoids the usual method of categorization of artists into schools and trends. An A to Z of artists includes biographies and reference material for over 400 principal artists, all of whom are represented by at least one illustration. The 585 illustrations follow each chapter and are cross-referenced from the artists' biographies.
Fourteen appendices provide useful lists of artists, exhibitions and published prints, and include a complete catalogue of all known poster-prints.