Montage of Engravings
This montage of steel engravings was executed in the late 19th century by the Bureau of Engraving & Printing in a process known as "chine colle," in which a thin piece of paper is engraved and subsequently pressed on a piece of heavier paper. Each chine colle in the montage was cut after completion of printing, which is shown, by sharp cuts in the secondary paper.
This technique was popular in the 18th century, during a time of prosperous trading with China. The name "chine paper" indicates the origin of the paper. It arrived initially as a wrapping paper with goods from China. It is not clear when this paper was first used for artistic purposes. In 1817, paper manufacturer, John Dickinson, perfected cylindrical paper making machines and produced a paper suitable for copper plate engravings. This paper consisted of a thin sheet pressed onto heavier paper. The thin sheet is extremely absorbent and adapts itself to the surface of a steel plate or wood and soaks up a large quantity of ink without smearing. According to the printer Phillip McQueen, the technique seemed to be abandoned around 1950, when China paper was no longer available.
The Treasury Collection contains a number of such montages that include presidents, secretaries of the Treasury, allegorical figures, and prominent Washington buildings. The artist or artists of this work are unknown.