Wood engraving allowed images carved into wood to be printed on paper.
Wood engraving is a technique where images are carved on wood and transferred to paper. The technique developed from the ancient process of woodcutting developed around the ninth century in China. Wood engraving was historically used for printing publications and teaching the world about the lives of people around the globe. Today, publication printing is done by modern technology, but wood engraving has become a popular art form.
Asian History
Historically, wood carving and printing is thought to have begun with the Chinese and Egyptians. Buddhist monks began carving text and designs into the end grain of a plank of wood, dipping it in ink and rubbing paper over the inked design. Buddhist prints dating back to 770 A.D are the oldest remaining examples of this ancient method of wood engraving. In Japan, a process of color printing was developed in the 17th century. Japanese artists made intricate designs with up to ten prints. According to the CBBAG website, these artistic prints were intricately carved and detailed.
European History
In the 15th and 16th centuries, wood engraving began to develop throughout Europe. The first European example is the Brussels Madonna, printed in 1418, according to the Philadelphia Print Shop website. Movable type and printing press processes used wood engraving as early as 1450. In 1753, Thomas Bewick of England brought wood engraving to popularity by creating carved wooden panels that could be used to create as many as 500,000 copies of a single carving.
Process
In order to create a wood engraving and subsequent print, one must carve a design into the end grain piece of a plank of wood. Originally, according to CBBAG, carved blocks where dipped into ink and then pressed on paper. Over time, Chinese monks began rubbing the paper on to the carved block which made a more realistic print. Eventually, carved panels were placed into printing presses and movable type machines to create mass produced publications. According to Stanford University, intricate wood engravings were created by highly skilled technicians and often took days to complete.
Historical Uses
Historically, the uses of wood engraving were varied and important. According to CBBAG and the Philadelphia Print Shop, wood engraving was used to create everything from important art pieces to newspapers. Monks used wood engraving to create prints and charms essential to their religious endeavors. In Europe, governments used wood engravers to capture images of life in other parts of their empire which were then printed and distributed to residents in the home country. According to Stanford University, wood engraving became the process for publishing dime store novels and stories prior to 1880.
Modern Uses
Computers and modern printing practices have caused wood engraving to become less than essential in today's society. In fact, most current or recent wood engravings are done to create pieces of art rather than report the news.
