Lithography
was invented by Alois Senefelder in Bohemia in 1796. Back in the day a
smooth piece of limestone was used, hence the name “lithos” (λιθος) from
the ancient Greek word for stone. After the oil-based image was applied
to the surface, a solution of gum arabic in water was applied, the gum
sticking only to the non-oily surface. During printing, water adheres to
the gum arabic surfaces and avoids the oily parts, while the oily ink
used for printing does the opposite. Effectively creating a ‘wash’ is
the ever-looming challenge.
Lithograph copyright (c) Trevi Bennett 2012
