Unveiling the Journey: From Original Painting to Steel Engraving Print

 

               Recently, I came across a few interesting steel engraving prints from the 1800s. As always, I started my work by studying these prints, figuring out the depicted subject, its history, artist, engraver, press, publisher…. Suddenly, I stumbled upon ‘THE ORIGINAL PAINTING’ of one of the steel engraving prints I was studying ‘Entrance to Portsmouth Harbour’. These are my magical moments!! So, I thought it would be fascinating to write a blog post about the journey of a steel engraving print from its original painting, particularly for Purathanam followers who are interested in learning more about the steel engraving art form.

What is a steel Engraving?

               Steel engraving is a printmaking technique invented by an American physicist in the 18th Century that involves incising lines and details into a steel plate using a sharp tool called burin/ graver. The whole engraving process required great skill and precision, if any mistakes made during the engraving or printing stages could ruin the plate and will have to start over from the beginning.

This is steel engraving print of 'Entrance to Portsmouth Harbour' that I mentioned earlier from the late 1800s, originally engraved from a renowned painting known as the 'Entrance to Portsmouth Harbour', by an English artist Edward William Cooke and engraved by Edward Francis Finden. Here, highlighting the engraver is as important as acknowledging the original artist when it comes to steel engraving prints.

The Engraver: 

           An 'Engraver' is someone who creates designs or texts onto metal, glass, or wood surfaces. So in copper and steel engraving, the person (Engraver) who draws or traces (Engraves) the original base copy of any selected painting, onto the metal surface using the sharp tool called a ‘burin’ (Graver) becomes an artist of every engraving print they work on. A Burin is a steel shaft ending in a beveled diamond-shaped tip that is set into a rounded wooden handle.

(Left: Gravers, or Burins. Right: Way in Which a Line is Traced by the Graver)

The Engraver’s Art;

          In the engraving process, engravers use a specific drawing technique called 'hatching.' They employ multiple kinds of hatching techniques, such as cross-hatching, parallel hatching, contour hatching, and many more, in various arrangements and densities to create a solid sense of atmospheric perspective and contour. Let me explain….

Hatching technique is a very effective way of demonstrating adding value (light and dark) to any drawings. Hatching consists of rows of parallel lines and perpendicular lines placed closely together. The more closer the lines are the darker the area appears. The areas where there are no lines on the metal sheet will appear to be a highlight. The contour lines on the faces helps to sense the volume, highlight and three-dimensionality.  Engravers were also known as 'Line Engravers,' as they were specialized in creating these hatching lines.

(This is a reference picture of an engraver creating a drawing (an eye) using a burin on a copper plate.)

(Here's another reference picture for an even more closer look at the contour lines created by the engraver on a steel plate using the burin.)

This is another steel engraving print, a perfect example of our own engraver, E. Finden, titled 'Dover'. Just look at those lines! The more lines there are, the darker they appear, isn't it? During the engraving printing process, the ink gets into the grooves of those thick and thin lines, which hold ink according to their depth on the metal sheet made by the engraver. This essentially assists in transferring the art onto the dampened paper when pressed. Later, it was hand-colored additionally for special prints.

This is basically how the art portion was done in steel engraving. To check out the full process of engraving print, click the link given at the end of the blog

The Engraver’s Studio:

 (This print was engraved for the Universal Magazine for J. Hinton at the King's Arms in St.Paul's Church Yard,  London in 1748.)

            This engraving print visually represents how a studio or workspace of an engraver looked like in the 1700s, the type of assistance they received, and their tools.

While I was browsing for steel engraving prints I found this interesting image and its explanation on a website https://scalar.missouri.edu/vm. And I thought sharing it here Coz, It helped me to visualize a steel engraving studio. Actually this print was made to explain the Engraver’s studio of the two print techniques Engraving and Etching. Only the print making process differs in Engraving and Etching but for both the art forms the artist or engraver are required to draw the base copy on the copper plate. Since both the copper and steel engraving fall under Engraving and differs only in the usage of metal plates we can assume a steel Engraver’s studio might have looked like this. To make the study easier, I have made them into bullet points.

The Engraver’s Studio Explained;

• The engraver is sitting on the right, in front of a screen, which diffuses daylight to avoid glare and provide even light on the copper plate.
• The copper plate is placed on a leather sandbag, as often the engraver moved the plate rather than the graver to produce evenly cut lines.
• Some of the engraver's tools are on his desk, while others are shown at the bottom of the plate.
• Plaster models, books, and tools behind the engraver demonstrate that he was not only a skilled craftsman but also an artist and a man of learning.

The engravers’ assistants could be apprentices, normally between the ages of 14 and 21 years, older journeymen, or family members, including wives, and children of both sexes. The two assistants shown here are engaged in two of the multiple technical activities required before and after the etching of plates by the engraver.

• The older assistant is blacking the etching ground on the plate with smoke from a candle, so that the engraver can more clearly see the copper emerge from beneath the displaced etching ground.
• The younger assistant is dipping the plate in a bath of acid or aqua fortis.”

             Back in the day, it was impossible for artists to imagine getting multiple copies of any of their paintings. Printing multiple copies of their own paintings were like a dream come true for several artists. That is why around the early 1900s during the era of Oleograph prints Indian painters like Ravi Varma, Vasudeo H. Pandya, G. V. Venkatesha Rao, got their paintings printed in Germany. It was a big deal for them! Alright, first let's take a brief look at the evolution of the printing techniques;

The Early Evolution of Printing;

In 800 CE -1600 CE

1. The Wood Engravings:

True woodblock printing was well established in China by the seventh and eighth centuries CE. The famous Diamond Sutra, dated 868 CE, is often cited as the world’s oldest complete dated printed book. Chinese printers carved entire pages of text and images into wooden blocks, which were then inked and pressed onto paper. This method played a significant role in the spread of literature, religious texts, and artwork across East Asia.

Japan later adopted and refined woodblock printing. During the Edo period (1603–1868), Japanese artists produced extraordinary multicolour woodblock prints known as Ukiyo-e. Artists such as Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige became renowned for their masterful prints, which depicted landscapes, daily life, and scenes from Japanese culture.

India also had long-standing printing traditions, though not on the same scale as Chinese woodblock book printing. Textile block printing had existed in India for centuries, with regions such as Gujarat and Rajasthan using intricately carved wooden blocks to print fabrics and decorative patterns. These traditions continue to survive even today.

In Europe, woodblock printing emerged during the late fourteenth century. Initially used for printing on textiles, it gradually evolved into a method for printing on paper. By the fifteenth century, woodcuts were widely used to produce religious images, playing cards, book illustrations, and pamphlets, contributing significantly to the spread of printed imagery across Europe.

 

(Reference of a 16th-century woodcut, of Dürer’s Rhinoceros by Albrecht Dürer, 1515.)

As the demand for greater detail and precision increased, woodcuts gradually gave way to copperplate engraving for many applications, particularly maps, illustrations, and fine art reproductions. 

      .

In 1472 CE

2. The Copper Engravings:

(St. Jerome in his study -1514, engraved by Northern Renaissance master Albrecht Dürer)

Copperplate engraving emerged in Europe during the early fifteenth century and became one of the most important printmaking techniques of the Renaissance. Unlike woodcuts, copperplate engraving allowed artists to create finer lines, greater detail, and more intricate compositions, making it particularly popular for maps, book illustrations, religious imagery, portraits, and fine art reproductions.

One of the greatest masters of copperplate engraving was Albrecht Dürer, whose works demonstrated the remarkable level of detail that could be achieved through this technique.

Although copper plates produced beautiful prints, they gradually wore down with repeated use. In the early nineteenth century, steel engraving emerged as a more durable alternative, allowing publishers to produce larger print runs while retaining fine detail.

In 1600s CE

3. Etching:

 
(Woman with the Arrow, etching by Rembrandt, 1661; in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.)

     Etching emerged as a printmaking technique in Europe during the late fifteenth century and became increasingly popular during the sixteenth century. Unlike engraving, where lines were cut directly into a metal plate, etching used acid to create the design, giving artists greater freedom and spontaneity in their work.

Early artists such as Albrecht Dürer experimented with the medium, while later masters such as Rembrandt elevated etching to extraordinary artistic heights through their innovative use of line, tone, and atmosphere.

By the seventeenth century, etching had become one of the most important printmaking techniques in Europe and played a significant role in the continuing evolution of printmaking.

In 1792s CE

4. The Steel Engravings:

(Steel Engraving Print of “Entrance to Portsmouth Harbour’ by E. Cooke & engraved by E. Finden from Purathanam Collection)

Steel engraving emerged during the early nineteenth century as a more durable alternative to copperplate engraving. One of its principal pioneers was the American inventor, engineer, and engraver Jacob Perkins, who helped popularize the use of steel plates for banknote printing and other printed works.

Unlike copper, steel was harder and more resistant to wear, allowing publishers to produce larger print runs while retaining fine detail. This made steel engraving particularly popular for books, maps, illustrations, and fine art reproductions throughout the nineteenth century.

What began as a simple curiosity about a steel engraving print led me on a journey through the history of printmaking, from woodcuts and copper engravings to the remarkable durability of steel plates.      

More importantly, it reminded me that every antique print has a story. Behind every engraving lies an artist, an engraver, a publisher, and often an original painting that inspired it all.

This is the original painting of “Entrance to Portsmouth Harbour” (H 29.8 x W 40.6 cm, Oil on panel), painted circa 1829-35 by Edward William Cooke which is currently displayed in Victoria and Albert Museum (gift from John Sheepshanks, 1857).

It was our engraver, Edward Francis Finden, who later recreated or copied this beautiful maritime scene onto a piece of steel in 1800s London, to print multiple copies of ‘Entrance to Portsmouth Harbour’. And one of the prints found its way to me and paved its way to our Purathanam collection. So Purathanam ended up acquiring a piece of art that is connected to a painting sitting in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

If you are interested in this ‘Entrance to Portsmouth Harbour’ steel engraving print, please checkout the link. 

Entrance to Portsmouth Harbour Steel Engraving Print.

For the video of the engraving print process  checkout the following YouTube link;

References and Image; sources:https://victorianweb.org, Wikipedia, public domains, Pinterest, YouTube, https://scalar.missouri.edu/vm