Short Communication Mezzotint Under Glass: A Historical Review of the Glass Print

Abstract

Printmaking technology has made significant advances during the past four hundred years. Among early advances was the development of the mezzotint process in the mid-17th century, which gave prints a new and exciting look and feel. Because of the wide range of tonality it was capable of producing, the process enabled artists to produce a painterly appearance in their works on paper. Mezzotints became hugely popular and successful, and later gave rise to another phenomenon in art, the glass print, a decorative art form practiced by most anyone who wanted to liven up a mezzotint and display it in their home. Glass prints were also produced and sold commercially. The process was invented in England around 1700; trade in commercially produced glass prints extended to the British colonies in America in the early 18th century. To make a glass print, a mezzotint was adhered to a glass surface, face down. Then paper fiber was removed to reduce the support to a wafer-thin thickness, and varnish was applied to make the paper transparent. The surface was then ready for the artist to apply paint from behind. The rich tonality of the mezzotint enhanced the overall appearance of the image as paint was laid on the surface. Relatively few glass prints have survived, and they are not well known to print curators and conservators. Information is provided here to promote understanding that will lead to their long-term preservation.