George Baxter - "The Crystal Palace" 1854

Engraving from 1854, 6" × 4" slight crease in bottom left

George Baxter, 1804-1867

George Baxter was an engraver and printer who invented a process of colour printing that made reproductions of paintings available on a mass scale. He supplied colour illustrations to the publisher George Mudie and produced prints for the London Missionary Society. Baxter's process incorporated the aquatint method and involved superimposing the colours using wooden blocks. Baxter used carefully etched plates, a hand press, and the finest colours, oils and paper. He mixed the colours himself but left no record of their composition. The process quickly gained popularity and was widely useful in producing replications of paintings.