The Print Before Photography

Copper-plate printmaking, developed alongside Gutenberg’s invention of moveable type, was a huge business employing thousands of people, and dominating image production for nearly four centuries across the whole of Europe. Its techniques and influence remained very stable until the nineteenth century, when this world was displaced by new technologies, of which photography was by far the most important. Print Before Photography examines the unrivalled importance of printmaking in its golden age, illustrated through the British Museum’s outstanding collection of prints. This unique and significant book is destined to be a leading reference in print scholarship, and will be of interest to anyone with an interest in this era of art history.

Author Biography

Between 1991 and 2010, Antony Griffiths was deputy keeper, then keeper, of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum. In 1984 he co-founded Print Quarterly, a journal dedicated to the art of the print. He was appointed a fellow of the British Academy in 2000. He has published widely on the subject.