Celebrating Chromolithography

Packaging for Gilbert pencils.

Cover of a how-to book of sign painting. 

Promotion for the Marinoni steam-powered lithography press from 1883. It was used for newspapers and the printing of large posters from many of the famed 19th and 20th century ateliers in Paris. Based upon the detail of the printing, I presume this is a poster, most likely printed on the Marinoni press. 

Advertisement for the color printing of C. Adrien. 

From a book celebrating the invention of the chromolithograph printing process said to be invented by Charles Godefroy Engelmann in 1837.
      All of these early color lithograph examples are from a 2007-8 exhibit on chromolithography held at the Musée de l'Imprimerie in Lyon. You can see a few more items from the exhibit here. 

Die Farbe

Swiss painter Johannes Itten's (1888 - 1967) book on color for the Museum of Applied Arts in Zurich. Book design by Swiss designer Max Bill, 1944.

A Field Guide to Color Management

Alex Cornell at ISO50 offers up this great comprehensive guide to color management 101 and explains how to calibrate your monitor and get decent color output from your inkjet printer. The delightful dog-earred cover design is from self-taught designer Scott Hansen of ISO50.

Color Secrets

A series of monographs on color published by the folks at The International Printing Ink Corporation. From Things Magazine.

Flip Over This Rainbow

Forget the animation–this is no ordinary flipbook. Japanese designer, Mashashi Kawamura's flipbook creates a rainbow in the air from the afterimage of the colored squares as you flip it. Order it from Utrecht. Kawamura's book is a recent winner of the NY Art Director's Silver Cube Award. Well deserved I might add. Via Sweet Station.

Color Demystified

360° Color: A Peek Inside Pantone from Base on Vimeo.