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Alois Senefelder, German Inventor

Johann Alois Senefelder (November 6, 1771 - February 26, 1834) was a German actor and playwright who invented the printing technique of lithography in 1796. He experimented with a novel etching technique using a greasy, acid resistant ink as a resist on a smooth fine-grained limestone. He then discovered that this could be extended to allow printing from the flat surface of the stone alone, the first planographic process in printing. He gradually brought his technique into a workable form, perfecting both the chemical processes and the special form of printing press required for using the stones. He called it "stone printing" or "chemical printing", but the French name "lithography" became more widely adopted. His invention made printing more affordable and available to more people, and was important in art and newspaper printing. He died in 1834 at the age of 62.

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Title: Alois Senefelder, German Inventor

Caption: Johann Alois Senefelder (November 6, 1771 - February 26, 1834) was a German actor and playwright who invented the printing technique of lithography in 1796. He experimented with a novel etching technique using a greasy, acid resistant ink as a resist on a smooth fine-grained limestone. He then discovered that this could be extended to allow printing from the flat surface of the stone alone, the first planographic process in printing. He gradually brought his technique into a workable form, perfecting both the chemical processes and the special form of printing press required for using the stones. He called it "stone printing" or "chemical printing", but the French name "lithography" became more widely adopted. His invention made printing more affordable and available to more people, and was important in art and newspaper printing. He died in 1834 at the age of 62.

Personalities: JOHANN ALOIS SENEFELDER

Category: ILLUSTRATION • black & white • History: Personalities

Credit: Album / Science Source / Smithsonian Institution Libraries

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Image size: 2850 × 3326 px | 27.1 MB

Print size: 24.1 × 28.2 cm | 1122.0 × 1309.4 in (300 dpi)

Keywords: 1771 • 1796 • 1834 • 18TH CENTURY • 18TH CENTURY, THE • 18TH CENTURY. • 18TH • 19TH CENTURY • ACTOR (FEMALE) • ACTOR • ACTORS • ACTRESS (FICTION) • ACTRESS • ALOIS SENEFELDER • ALOYS JOHANN NEPOMUK FRANZ SENEFELDER • ART • ARTFORM: LITHOGRAPH • ARTWORK • BLACK & WHITE • BW • CELEBRITIES • CELEBRITY • COMEDIAN • COMICAL • COMMUNICATION • DRAWING • EUROPEA • EUROPEAN • EUROPEANS • FAMOUS PEOPLE • FAMOUS • FIGURE • GERMAN • GERMANS • HISTORIC • HISTORICAL • HISTORY • HISTORY: PERSONALITIES • ILLUSTRATION • ILLUSTRATIONS • ILUSTRATION • IMPORTANT • INVENTION • INVENTOR (MALE) • INVENTOR • JOHANN ALOIS SENEFELDER • LETTERPRESS ERA • LITHOGRAPH • LITHOGRAPHER • LITHOGRAPHY • MALE • MAN • MASS COMMUNICATION • MEN • NOTABLE • PEOPLE • PERSON • PERSONALITIES • PERSONALITY • PLANOGRAPHIC PROCESS • PLAYWRIGHT • PRINTING PRESS • PRINTING PROCESS • PRINTING SYSTEM • PRINTMAKING • SCIENCE • SENEFELDER • TECHNIQUE • TECHNOLOGICAL • TECHNOLOGY • WELL-KNOWN • XVIII CENTURY