c. 1859
George Baxter English, 1804-1867
England
George Baxter invented an innovative color printing technique to mass-produce commercial images that resembled oil paintings, earning him the epithet “The Picture Printer.” His Baxter Process integrated several traditional printing techniques, combining an intaglio “key” plate that printed the main features of the design with numerous relief color woodblocks. Baxter’s subjects varied from still-life imagery and genre scenes to images depicting important contemporary events. Here Queen Victoria is seated in state with the Crown of India on a cushion beside her. This print required 12 different color blocks and was released just after India was added to the British Empire.
Steel engraving colored with wood-blocks in oil-based inks on paper