Gillotage. Exploring a mid-nineteenth century relief printing technique

Abstract

Gillotage, a relief printing method used in nineteenth century commercial industry, consists of using a lithographic transfer of an image drawn and processed on stone to a metal plate, while avoiding undercutting the raised areas of the design needed to obtain a relief printing plate. Gillotage was a first option when it came to reproducing an illustration in a commercial sphere, being a cheaper alternative to relief printing methods such as wood engraving. This article wrestles with a fundamental problem: is it possible to recreate the material conditions, interpretations and successful printing outcomes as present in original gillotage? How to contend with the unfortunate demands of historical and unfamiliar technologies of reproduction and adapt them to a contemporary practice? Can a project based on an obsolete printing technique used with letterpress printing demonstrate how to engage researchers and students in new printing approaches?

Our technological reconstruction helped us to better understand the materials and components of gillotage, the aesthetic and tactile qualities achieved by these methods which have not entered a printmaking studio. Nevertheless, such operational circumstances may thus be understood as an invitation to experiment, contradicting the original use of making a print as a means to reproduce. We aim to get closer to an alternative printing matrix compatible with letterpress printing while developing methods to involve print practitioners in printing history and experiment with materials in their creative practice.