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The home of research into the work of George Baxter, Baxter Prints, Baxter's Licencees and other Mid 19th Century hand pressed Victorian Colour Printers
George Baxter (1804 - 1867) -The 'inventor' of colour printing
Colour printing had been in existence for many years but it had been quite basic and very expensive to produce. In 1834 Baxter was the first person to acheive quality AND quantity 'commercial colour printing'. His patent in 1835 allowed him to dominate the market for the next 15 years and acheive the highest quality hand produced prints until his retirement in the 1860's. The quality, finish and look of his missionary prints produced in the 1840's, for example, would be hard to replicate
even today BUT in 1840 these were all produced by hand - from the engraving of the steel plates, the wood or metal blocks for each colours and all printed on hand presses. These were NOT 'prints' as perhaps we think of today but hand produced works of art.
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Was he really the 'inventor' of colour printing? Possibly not but as early as 1842 Baxter advertised himself as 'The Inventor and Patentee of the art of printing in Oil Colours' and was definitely the inventor of the art of commercial colour picture printing.
Examples of Baxter's work
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Baxter produced about 400 different prints, some of his most popular were his portraits - examples here are Prince Albert, Queen Victoria, Duke of Wellington and Napoleon I - Queen Victoria invited Baxter to sketch the scene at her Coronation which he later produced as a rare full colour print
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Baxter produced many original prints of topical events of the day, nothing can be more topical than his prints of the Great Exhibition of 1851 and of The Crystal Palace
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He produced many religious subjects, such as Rubens 'Descent from the Cross', copies of famous paintings of the day like 'The Bridesmaid' after Brooks as well as original subjects like 'Windsor Castle' or 'Puss Napping' stated as drawn from life.
The first prints published by him as separate works of art were some of his missionary prints in the 1840's such as 'The Ordinance of Baptism' showing a scene in Jamaica.
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Mic - www.GeorgeBaxter.com
Burry Port, South Wales, UK