The barricade, first stone - Public domain illustration drawing

Belgian civilians in at least one instance were stripped and marched in front of the troops as a shield. -GB The two versions of "The Barricade" are exact reversals of the same image. The following explanation is by S. Dale Phillips, one of printer Bolton Brown's last students. "The print showing left handed gunners is from a drawing on stone. The reversed print showing right handed gunners is from a zinc plate on which the drawing had been transferred from the stone. The drawing on stone was completed, signed and prepared for printing as usual. For the transfer to zinc the stone was rolled up using transfer ink. This ink has the same potency on zinc as litho crayon would have had. In other respects it looks and acts the same as litho printing ink used for pulling an edition of prints. A zinc plate, which is flexible, was then laid over the stone charged with transfer ink and the print pulled on a zinc sheet in the same manner as if paper stock had been used. The zinc plate was then gummed, etched and prepared for printing by rolling it up with printing ink. Both stone and zinc are now printable. The stone then printed left handed gunners and has capability to print an edition. The zinc plate has the same capability to print an edition, showing right handed gunners.. Whether Bellows planned the reversal in the beginning I cannot say. I suspect he suffered the shock of seeing left handed gunmen, then decided on the transfer. The signature would not support arguments for a planned transfer." (S. Dale Phillips to Lauris Mason, November 12, 1976) The two versions of "The Barricade" are identical but reversed. The signature is backwards in the "Second Stone." (Mason)

Courtesy of Boston Public Library

george bellows 1882 1925 prints and drawings boston public library arts department barricades punishment torture soldiers nudes raising hands belgium lithographs prints george bellows 1882 1925 first stone ultra high resolution high resolution

1918

Boston Public Library

https://ark.digitalcommonwealth.org/

Public Domain