Illustration from The Invention of Lithography by Aloys Senefelder published in 1818.

“A lithographic impression is not even a fac-simile of the work of an artist of eminence, but the original drawing itself.  This is a feature peculiar to Lithography, and shows the immense benefit conferred on mankind by this admirable invention, by procuring to persons whose means are but limited, the power of possessing that which could formerly only be held by individuals of immense property.” Charles Hullmandel The Art of Drawing on Stone 1824

Aloys Senefelder of Bavaria invented lithography in 1798, but it was not used successfully for commercial prints in the United States until the mid-1820s. In the early days, the equipment needed for printing, such as the press shown here, had to be brought over from Europe. The lithograph stones came from Germany and also had to be imported.

Lithography is based on the premise that grease and water do not mix.

• The artist draws the design in reverse directly onto a lithographic stone with a grease pencil or crayon.
• The surface of the stone is treated with a solution of gum Arabic and acid followed by a grease solvent to insure that the image areas will only accept grease and the non-image areas will only accept water.
• The stone is wetted and then rolled with ink. The water adheres to the blank areas while the ink adheres to the greasy lines of the design.
• The print is created by placing a sheet of paper on the stone and uniformly applying pressure by means of a press to the entire surface, transferring the ink onto the paper.