Just curious about the T206 Lumley background...

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Posted By: Deb Johnson

I have searched past threads and can't find a reference to the diagonal lines that make up the background of the T206 Lumley. I was looking at a stain under magnification and noticed that parallel lines are used instead of the splotchy or solid blues on other cards. You might have to have a poorly registered card like this one to see them with the naked eye, or have better, younger, naked eyes than mine. I've checked my other cards, and can't find any that use this effect. I have two P150's like this so think it was planned, not a printer's error, and the result is fine, so why didn't they use the line idea on other cards, or did they? I found an old post of Ted Z's that refers to the fact that blue or cyan would have been the last of four ink passes in the lithographic process, and I think I see pale yellow underneath the lines, so were the print artists just experimenting for a different hue of blue/green? Any thoughts? Anybody know of another card that uses lines like these?
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Just curious,
Deb J ('hardly ever' poster)

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Posted By: fkw

I cant help you on the questions, but thats an interesting observation you found there. Never seen that on a T206 solid background.

I guess they were just trying something new at the printers.

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Posted By: Paul S

Interesting. I checked some of my portraits that looked like they would be good candidates, even those with shadow backgrounds (like the Johnson portrait) -- came up with nothing.

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Posted By: Craig W

I didn't find any diagonal lines, but under magnification the background on this liebhardt has almost parallel, squiggly, faint dark lines. The back is SC350 F30.



btw, Deb, some of Merkle's other friends are the Youngs (Cy & Irv) and the Doyles (Joe & Larry)

Best Regards

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Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

What you are observing in your Lumley card is the difference in the quality of the BLUE ink that
American Lithographic initially applied vs the subsequent application of a deeper Blue ink as they
printed the other brands and series. This difference is illustrated here in the top scan.

The diagonal lines are present on all the Lumley cards, but the deeper (or darker) quality of the
Blue inks cover up the lines.

The first printed T206's were the Piedmont 150's and the Blue color on these cards is typically a
pale (or lighter) Blue. While the Sovereign and the Sweet Cap 350 are a deeper Blue color.








TED Z

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Posted By: Deb Johnson

Thanks much for your post. I do remember reading something about the 150-lighter/350-darker issue in an historic thread, perhaps about a Matty dark cap? Appreciate your scans, too -- very illustrative. I can see that, chances are, I wouldn't have noticed any diagonal lines at all if I'd initially been looking at a Sovereign.
I'll respond further with a scan from this end when I'm ready to make my mind-bending Lumley/Lobert diagonal line connection. (smiley)
Thanks again for taking the time to respond,
Deb
(P.S. Craig, I'm still researching the wavy lines, too. Thanks.)

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Posted By: Trae R.

The Plank used for this scan image had very evident lines also:
http://flickr.com/photos/traeregan/1411121258/sizes/o/in/set-72157602091267087/




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"There ain't much to being a ballplayer, if you're a ballplayer."
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