George Baxter
(July 31, 1804 - January 11, 1867) |
|
Art Work
| Name: |
George Baxter |
| Gender: |
Male |
| Place of Birth: |
Lewes, E. Sussex |
| Nationality: |
English |
| Birth: |
July 31, 1804 |
| Death: |
January 11, 1867 |
| Website: |
http://www.georgebaxter.com |
| Past Auctions: |
Click Here |
|
|
Quick Facts
| Known For: |
|
| Medium: |
Printmaker |
| Method: |
|
| Style: |
|
| Fine Art Profession(s): |
|
|
|
Biography
| His method of printing coloured illustrations and prints was patented in 1835. It used a key metal plate or stone on which a design was engraved, and the print from this was then coloured in oil- or water-based inks by means of a succession of (generally) woodblocks (e.g. Belgian Section in the Great Exhibition, 1852; London.)It was a relatively cheap process, the first commercially viable mechanical alternative to the hand-coloured print, and for a quarter of a century it was the most successful colour-printing process available. Baxter was a meticulous craftsman, and his prints are characterized by an attention to design detail and a care in printing not emulated by other processes. Initially Baxter was concerned exclusively with book illustration, but he later produced large individual prints of royal occasions, plates for prestigious books (e.g. Sir N. H. Nicolass History of the Orders of Knighthood, London, 1841-2), notable prints for the missionary societies and more profitable popular illustrations and printed ephemera. At the expiry in 1849 of his initial patent, he was granted an extension for a further five years but was also encouraged to grant licences to others, including his former apprentices. Competition from these licensees, together with improvements in reproductive techniques (most significantly chromolithography and photography) and the final expiry of his patent, precluded Baxter from making any lasting fortune out of his invention. He was declared bankrupt in 1865. Baxter prints have been collected since the end of the 19th century (the Baxter Society was formed in 1895). |
Samples of Work
|
|
