Prints | A Primer for the Prospective Collector

Prints: A Primer for the Prospective Collector

This introduction to collecting Western and Southwestern prints is meant to be just that: an introduction. It is neither exhaustive nor definitive. Specialists in the field are available to guide prospective collectors. Resources abound in libraries and online.

By James D. Balestrieri

Woodblock printing dates at least as far back as the 7th century. Print collecting, as we know it, begins in Europe with Gutenberg and the rapid rise of his printing press in the 15th century. Prints migrated from books to become broadsheets and advertisements. Multiples of the same image, produced inexpensively, allowed artists to reach wider audiences. The print market quickly became an important part of the output of major artists such as Andrea Mantegna, Albrecht Durer and Rembrandt. By the 17th century, prints were widely produced and collected. At the same time, the woodblock in Japan emerged as a major art form, one that would give rise to Hokusai’s GREAT WAVE and scores of other images that would, in turn, influence printmaking in Europe and the United States.

Print collecting is an enjoyable alternative to collecting original works of art. Moreover, prints offer a way in—one that is typically more affordable—to collecting work by some of the most celebrated artists. Fortunately, artists of the American West and Southwest took up the practice early on, and many exceptional examples exist and come to market frequently. Still, there is a great deal to know—and always, as with every aspect of collecting, more to learn.

Etchings are perhaps the most collected type of prints. In the etching process, an acid-resistant layer—wax or something like it—is applied to a copper plate. The artist etches lines through this layer and onto the plate with a metal stylus or burin, creating the drawing—but in reverse. The plate is then dipped in acid which then “etches” the lines. The artist cleans, inks and wipes the plate, leaving the ink that remains in the etched lines. The plate is then pressed with great force onto paper, transferring the ink and creating the image. When areas, instead of lines, are incised onto the plate to create shading, the result is an aquatint or mezzotint.

With steel engravings, the image is incised directly into the plate. Parallel lines, known as hatching, create the illusion of volume, pressure on the burin adds tonality, and the application of ink creates subtleties of shading.

Woodblocks (as well as linocuts, which begin with linoleum as opposed to wood) are exactly what they sound like: blocks of wood carved, either through incision, or in relief, to create an image which is then inked and transferred to paper. Complex prints require several blocks, one for each color. Japanese woodblocks are prized for this complexity.

Lithographs, from litho-, or stone, and -graph, or picture, were originally created from carved stones—again, one for each color of ink—that were then transferred to paper in succession. Complex lithographs, such as those produced by the Prang Company from Thomas Moran’s paintings in the late 1860s, might require upwards of 20 separate stones.

Prints were often issued in various editions and the wise collector does his or her homework. Aquatints after Karl Bodmer’s paintings are lush, beautiful images from his travels in the 1830s and are among the most desirable prints of the early American West. MATÓ TÓPE (Mah-To-Toh-Pa), MANDAN CHIEF, for example, was printed in London by Ackermann & Co. in 1839. Other editions, however, were printed in Paris and Coblenz. There are a variety of sizes. Some, like the one pictured, were hand-colored; others were black and white. Black-and-white prints might have been hand-colored more recently. Moral? Do your homework and don’t hesitate to seek out trusted experts in the field. Similarly, Albert Bierstadt’s THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, LANDER’S PEAK, a hand-colored steel plate etching and engraving issued in 1866, conveys the majesty of the original painting through hatching, burin pressure and the careful application of color.

One of the earliest Euro-American artists to visit New Mexico, Peter Moran—Thomas’s younger brother—also did some of the earliest etchings of the American West. As opposed to engravings and lithographs, etchings were, and are, most often pulled by the artists themselves—“pulled” is a printer’s term to describe the act of pulling the print from the plate—on their own presses. For the collector seeking early, approachable images of New Mexico, something like A BURRO TRAIN, NEW MEXICO, ca. 1881-3, is an attractive work. For a more contemporary take on New Mexico, look to artist Gustave Baumann. COCHITI ENSEMBLE, 1947, is one of the artist’s gorgeous and highly prized woodblock prints.

Such etchings are often signed, and sometimes numbered in editions, as in Carl Rungius’s OLD BALDFACE, part of the suite of wildlife prints Rungius created over the course of his career. This offers added interest because the print, despite being one of a number of similar images, is then a hands-on, artist-created affair rather than an image re-created and produced by a printer. Again, the astute collector has to be vigilant against posthumous print runs and forged signatures.

Condition is a crucial aspect of print collecting, just as it is when collecting original artworks. Some things to look for are as follows: discoloration of the paper, especially browning. With works that are framed and matted, it’s best to see the piece out of the frame, though this isn’t always possible. Have a look at the edges of the mat for any darkening. This may indicate the presence of acid in the mat or in the backing. With color prints, especially lithographs, look for bright, brilliant hues. Prints that have suffered in the sun will often be faded and most of the colors will have turned to shades of blue. When you are thinking about framing fine prints, consider glass or plexiglass with built-in UV protection.

The Edward Borein etching pictured here, END OF THE RACE (LONG THROW), has some small brown spots on it. These are known as foxing. Foxing, which can be found in books as well as prints, seems to appear when paper is subject to high humidity and is either fungal or caused by oxidation of minerals such as iron and copper. Foxing can be alleviated, though not always, and not always completely, through conservation.

Small prints sometimes have large margins. This is good. Leave them. Never cut the margins to fit a frame. Why? Prints are catalogued by both image size and paper size. Once reduced, it is impossible to know what the original paper margins were. Wide mats on small prints are a good sign and a good thing.

Frederic Remington saw his work reproduced from woodcuts early in his career Then, as mechanical processes were invented, saw fine reproductions of his work, both in the periodicals he worked for and in prints issued on their own by the R.H. Russell Company and Collier’s. A large folio, R.H. Russell’s A Bunch of Buckskins, reproduced a suite of Remington’s impressionistic pastels of Western figures that were eminently suitable for framing. A few years later, Collier’s began printing smaller folios of “Remington’s Four Best Pictures” and others, outstanding lithographs that still dazzle with their color and detail, as in THE PIONEER.

Many contemporary artists of the American West and Southwest continue to work in the old printmaking traditions and prize the continuum of craftsmanship in the practice. They are well worth seeking out, not only for the prints they pull, but for their knowledge about this long and storied medium.

Just as in all art, there are mysteries in the print world. WESTERN SALOON, ca. 1920-1940?, by an artist named Starling was recently gifted to me. My search turned up a portfolio of prints, including this one, attributed to a British artist named Starling. A deeper dive finds that the artist’s style bears no resemblance to this print, nor is there any indication that he visited the West or had any interest in Western subjects. Yet the scene is so lively that I feel compelled to keep digging. Such is the collector’s bug…Only another collector would understand.

This story appeared in the October/November 2024 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Subscribe today to read every issue in its entirety.