1889 engraved resin Harpers woodcut

[aquarius31]

Originally Posted by william_9

I would imagine it's an acid etch process. It's a pretty simple process that would make sense in a modern short run with some hand detailing.

Hi William, great to hear from you...hope all is well! I did a quick search on the acid etch process and it sounds like it is quite possible that this is in fact how these pieces were made. While I don't have a resin example to compare to, my piece certainly feels more like metal than plastic or some other substance. Also, the dimensions of it are smaller than the original Harper's woodcut so would be difficult for me to justify that it is derived from the original woodblock. It appears that someone could photocopy the image onto transfer paper and then place the paper directly onto the steel surface followed by immersion into an acid bath. It could then be hand-colored to give it a more unique look.

I'm very tempted to pull this out of the frame to see if there's any additional information but will likely wait until I'm at the frame shop in a few weeks for something else. Thanks.

George