Photogravure

A photomechanical printing process for reproducing photographs in large editions invented in 1879 by Karl Klic of Vienna. Similar to an etching process, it uses a polished copper plate upon which a fine resin dust is adhered by heat. The plate is etched with acid in differing depths in proportion to the tones of the picture, the shadows being the deepest and holding the most ink. The technique was used for reproductions of the work of many of the best-known pictorial photographers in the 1890s and 1900s.