Revisiting the T206 Wagner "strip"

[mkdltn]

I believe there are more than six colors and that there are nine. eight colors plus a key. The key being the halftone image base on a photograph or ink drawing.

I have progressive proof books of cigar labels made by ALC contemporary in time frame with the T206. I will post some of the pages. the color anomolies are entirely explainable. Everything I see really points to this being a proof. it must have been done during the proving phase of production, more specifically on the top floor of the ALC building.

The way the color anomolies can be explained is as follows:

The artwork for each color was executed on stones or metal plates.
a separate one for each. When a proof was run each color was run one over the other through a proof press for my ALC cigar labels it went like this:

yellow (opaque)
red (opaque)
light brown (transparent)
Dark brown I think mostly opaque
Buff- this is the flesh color in the faces
light blue transparent
Dark blue (mostly opaque)
pink-transparent
lake or sometimes called medium red
finally Grey
And in the case of my cigar labels gold-think gold border cards.

In the case of the T206 card the color order is I believe a bit different due to the use of the Halftone image being used for the dark and midtone aspect of the image, at least in the portraits.

some inks were transparent meaning the color below showed through

Now what if you ran each color through the press before the artist was done?

the first picture (Proof1) is the first page of the proof book, technically the last as the book was compiled from back to front, This image is in my opinion is analogous to the proof strip, It does not match the production image. this was run before the corrections were made to the image. This is what I love about my proof books is that the image in front is very very unique.

The second picture (Proof2) is the original Lake plate run in black with the a printer's note in pencil saying what material needs to be added.

the third picture (Proof3) is from a second run in black ink which reflects the change that was made. this impression is glued into the book after the first black impression.

I hope this helps some as far as printing knowledge I am a graphic designer so I am somewhat familiar with modern techniques in printing. Not printer knowledge but enough. This is what started me on this whole thing, I saw the high res cards on the LOC site and was absolutley amazed at what I was looking at and HAD to find out how these were printed. As my wife will attest to this has become my obsession for the last two years and am satisfied that I now have a pretty darn good grasp of how 19th century lithography was done.

[Al C.risafulli]

Outstanding post.

Al

[GoSoxBoSox]

Originally Posted by mkdltn

Everything I see really points to this being a proof. it must have been done during the proving phase of production, more specifically on the top floor of the ALC building.

You wrote alot about the process ALC used but what is it about this specific Wagner proof strip that makes you feel this is a proof? and do you think it's a "proof strip"? Why or why not?

Good stuff.

[Matt]

So T206s were the result of a 9 color printing process. We learn something new about the issue every day it seems.
Fascinating post.

[baseballart]

"I believe there are more than six colors and that there are nine. eight colors plus a key."

I'm not sure I'm counting correctly, but aren't there nine colors plus a key?

Max

[onlychild]

Here is a super close-up of Ted's examples directly compared to the strip.

To me, it shows the strip lacks both blue and red. Looking at the lips, cheeks and other places red is located, it seems that (like the blue) various shading methods were used to give a red-like appearance.

The skin tones might even suggest that yellow may(?) be missing or faded as well. Shading again?






Kevin

[GoSoxBoSox]

Thanks mkdltn, Kevin and Peter.

I am more convinced than ever it is a continuous strip.

[tedzan]

Your scan of my simulated strip overlapping the Wagner strip is really cool.


Thanks.

TED Z

[Jay Wolt]

Originally Posted by GoSoxBoSox

I am more convinced than ever it is a continuous strip.

Tom, I agree as well. Wasn't all that sure when the debate started, but it sure seems SGC got it right.
Look at Kevin's side by side comparison. Especially the Cy Young next to the Johnny Kling.
Even though its creased & tattered, there is no seperation of the 2 cards.
You would think if the piece was this beat up after a century, the cards would start to seperate.

[tedzan]

Following up on that excellent post (#131).....in the latter part of the 19th Century, lithography was at it's peak. And, as many as 9 color passes were
employed to create the more elaborate art of that era. Shown here is the 1889 Goodwin Champions Album. It was produced by the Geo. Harris & Sons
Lithographic Co. (Philadelphia). Here is the cover of this album and one of its 12 pages. In my opinion, this is the most remarkable example of sports art.
It is absolutely sports lithography at it's best....and, my most favorite piece in my collection.





Early in the 20th Century, Joseph P. Knapp (founder of American Lithographic Co.) refined color lithography, by using 6 color layers in the printing process.
Scot Reader's well researched book "Inside T206" (pages 5-7) describes the 6-color sequence used to print the T206 cards......
YELLOW
BLACK
BROWN
BLUE
DARK GREEN
RED


Modern color printing (the past 70+ years) employs the layering of only 4 colors......
BLACK
YELLOW
CYAN (blue)
MAGENTA

Gentleman, just check-out the ink cartridges in your Copier/Printer to verify this.


TED Z

[GoSoxBoSox]

I checked my HP ink jet printer Ted. I have five small color cartridges and one big black ink cartridge. Do you have any other irrelevant requests?

Back to the topic at hand.

[mkdltn]

Several things first the presence of the proof marks, when the image from the original stone or plate was transferred to the larger production stone or plate the proof marks were removed from the transfers.

transfers: when the art on the original stone was done it was etched and inked with transfer ink then was printed on to a transfer paper (a paper sized with some time of gelatin surface) This was done multiple times and applied face down to the large stone in perfect alighnment to one another which is a whole other story.

If you look closely at the high res Bowerman card on LOC and look at the right side you will see that the register mark on the pink transfer was not removed.

2. I think comments have been made on the vivid colors which is indicitive of an image that has not "suffered" through the transfer process and the wear associated with a large press run. It looks like something run from the original art stone or plate.

3. Another aspect is the dead on register. This was likely run by one person on a small press, one small sheet at a time.

4. The last is the color anomolies. This looks to be an image in prototype phase just like the first image in the proof books.

What makes me think this is a continuous proof strip?

mostly to me It simply looks like a duck.......

[mkdltn]

"I believe there are more than six colors and that there are nine. eight colors plus a key."

I'm not sure I'm counting correctly, but aren't there nine colors plus a key



Sorry about that, the colors I listed were those used in the label proof. I believe there are less used in the cards due to the fact a Halftone image was used. I think only one red was used, could be wrong.

These cards and the other items created by ALC and many many others
Are extraordinary examples of a nearly lost art by insanely talented craftsman and artists.