ABSTRACT
The first technology developed for the making of impressions in order that they could be subsequently reproduced, wood engraving predated not only movable type, but also other intaglio processes such as lithography, steel plate engraving, and photogravure. The cause of the wide diffusion and extended employment of the art of wood-engraving is undoubtedly its close alliance with the kindred art of printing. No other method of engraving lends itself so easily to the rapid productions of the printing press. Even the distinction between artist and engraver, however, is not as straightforward as it seems. Given the nature of their work within the context of the mid-century newspaper, it may not be accurate to speak of ‘artists’ at all. Ultimately, the nineteenth century witnessed a displacement of individual control over labour in the centralization of the illustrated newspaper as the locus of power with the capacity to construct time-frames for the completion of engravings and to define public ‘demand’.
