Subsérie 15 - Printing Blocks, Stereotypes and Photoengraving Plates

1,125 items; Artefact

A very large collection of metal stereotypes and photoengraving plates (most of which are mounted on wooden blocks) used for printing purposes for 'The Capuchin Annual'. Photoengraving was a process used in preparing illustrations for printing by transferring images to metal plates by a combination of photography and acid etching. Photoengraving was widely used in making plates for various printing processes, reproducing a wide variety of graphics such as lettering, line drawings and photographs. A stereotype consisted of engravings from a drawing or from an illustration. If required, duplicate stereotypes could be set beside text composed on a linotype machine and headings in hand-set type. Photoengraving plates and stereotype blocks were frequently mass-produced for advertisements and were sent to various printers, newspapers and publishers. These photoengraving plates and stereotype blocks were transferred (many still extant in filing cabinets) to archival storage following the closure of the Capuchin Publications Office in 1977. Many of the plates and blocks are numbered but only a few have identifying captions or annotations.

The date entry refers to the creation date of the printing plate (if known) and not the date of the image reproduced on the photoengraving.

For more information on the use of the stereotype process in the printing trade see http://mmop.org.au/gallery/stereo01/ast0203b.htm

For a brief explanation of the photoengraving process see http://printwiki.org/Photoengraving