From Naughty Girl’s and Boy’s Magic Transformations (McLoughlin Brothers, ca. 1880).

On the Friday afternoon before the conference started, there was a special treat prepared by Jane Rodgers Siegel, Columbia University’s Librarian for Rare Books (and also one of the conference presenters). In the Rare Book & Manuscript Library on the sixth floor of Columbia’s Butler Library she laid out examples of books encapsulating the history of color printing from the fifteenth through the early twentieth centuries, and illustrating topics from many of the conference presentations. With the encouragement to “touch respectfully,” Jane led us through a whirlwind tour of color printing techniques from the oldest 1458 Canon Missae with color initials (the first color printing on vellum) to the most recent example, some late 1920s brilliant French pochoir. 

A highlight was a stunning variety of progressive proofs demonstrating different color techniques, including Ludwig Lott’s Kunst-Buchdruckerei (ca. 1875) chromotypograph progressive proofs (dramatically described by Russel Maret during his conference presentation), the 1874 Wm. H. Page & Co. Specimen Book of Chromatic Wood Type with glorious colored letters (probably the source for the APHA conference poster), and Myles Birket Foster’s late 19th century progressive proof of a single lithograph with 31 stones showing each successive color added. Another spectacular work was an edition of Gautier d’Agoty’s exquisite four-color mezzotints, made all the more fascinating by their subjects of hermaphrodites and embryos captured in soft muted colors (although interestingly enough, lacking clear physical details). Many other techniques were on display including color intaglio, and nineteenth century McLoughlin children’s toy books and wood blocks used for engraving. Those of us lucky enough to have signed up for this tour commented to each other throughout the following day how terrific it was to have just been in touch (literally!) with the very books being described and discussed during the conference.

More photos from the Columbia RBML tour and of the 2013 APHA Conference.