John Thomas Haines in Ivanhoe tinsel print VA

A tinsel print is a print where

tinsel Tinsel is a type of decorative material that mimics the effect of ice, consisting of thin strips of sparkling material attached to a thread. When in long narrow strips not attached to thread, it is called "lametta", and emulates icicles. It was o ...

is added after printing, for decorative effect, it is made in two ways. The first is a rare type of

old master print An old master print (also spaced masterprint) is a work of art produced by a printing process within the Western tradition (mostly by Old Masters). The term remains current in the art trade, and there is no easy alternative in English to distingu ...

parts of which are decorated with small thin shiny fragments of metal or

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The Atom, atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen Tetrahedral molecular geometry, tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tet ...

crystal applied to glue. Gold leaf fragments were used on some, and colour was applied before the tinsel.

Arthur Mayger Hind Arthur Mayger Hind (1880–1957) was a British art historian and curator, who usually published as Arthur M. Hind or A. M. Hind. He specialized in old master prints, and was Keeper of the Department of Prints and Drawings at the British Muse ...

cites fewer than ten examples as being "practically all whose location is known... all seem to date between about 1430 and 1460". All are religious

woodcut Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...

s, and probably German in origin,An Introduction to a History of Woodcut, Arthur M. Hind, pp171-2, Houghton Mifflin Co. 1935 (in USA), reprinted Dover Publications, 1963 ; Grove perhaps from

Augsburg Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...

. They intended to imitate fabric, which was also the intention of the related "flock prints", printed in glue on paper that had been impressed on fabrics, and then sprinkled with chopped wool. The second type are

popular print Popular prints is a term for printing, printed images of generally low artistic quality which were sold cheaply in Europe and later the New World from the 15th to 18th centuries, often with text as well as images. They were some of the earliest e ...

s, mainly British, produced in the early or mid-19th century, normally showing actors in their roles, though

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

I in his study was another subject. These were sold in plain or hand-coloured and tinselled versions, and the plain versions were often tinselled at home. Tin-foil tinsel in different colours, mostly in pre-stamped shapes, was applied with glue. The theatrical prints cost one penny plain, and two coloured, with a standard size of about 12 by 10 inches (250 x 200 mm). Actors, whether heroes or villains, were more often represented than actresses. The artists are not named but the prolific political cartoonist and illustrator

George Cruikshank George Cruikshank or Cruickshank ( ; 27 September 1792 – 1 February 1878) was a British caricaturist and book illustrator, praised as the "modern William Hogarth, Hogarth" during his life. His book illustrations for his friend Charles Dicken ...

is suspected of being involved. Many prints also used fabric pieces and other additions (such as the plume of Mr Haines' helmet above). Prints with fabric are called "dressed prints"; this seems to have begun in 18th-century France as a hobby, mainly on devotional images. The same technique became popular for the smaller cut-out figures used in

toy theatre Toy theater, also called paper theater and model theater (also spelt theatre, see British and American spelling differences, spelling differences), is a form of miniature theater dating back to the early 19th century in Europe. Toy theaters were ...

s, a craze of the period. A wide range of supplies for home-tinselling were available, or pre-tinselled figures could be bought. Tinsel printing can also refer to Indian techniques for fabric.

Collections

Though popular in their day, theatrical tinsel prints were often not valued, and can deteriorate if not well looked after. They are now rare, especially in good condition. There are collections in the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

in London, the Cooper–Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York, and the

Folger Shakespeare Library The Folger Shakespeare Library is an independent research library on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., United States. It has the world's largest collection of the printed works of William Shakespeare, and is a primary repository for rare materia ...

was given a collection of 53 examples in 2003.DeStefano, Rhea
"Rehousing our tinsel print collection"
April 16, 2012, Folger Shakespeare Library File:Skelt, Martin and Matthew - theatrical tinsel portrait - Madame Vestris as Apollo - Google Art Project.jpg, '' Madame Vestris as Apollo'', English, 1837-40. Published by Skelt, Martin and Matthew File:Tinsel Picture, Charles Kemble as the Prince of Wales, 1821 (CH 18205227).jpg, '' Charles Kemble as the Prince of Wales'', 1821. There is limited tinsel, but much glued-on fabric. Inscribed "West's theatrical Portraits / no. 55". File:Tinsel Picture, Mr. Elsgood as Quicksand, 1859 (CH 18205233).jpg, "Mr. Elsgood as Quicksand in ''The Silver Palace''", dated 1859 File:Print, "Tinsel Picture"- Napoleo, ca. 1860 (CH 18441913).jpg,

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

and his family, "hand-colored lithograph, with applied, machine-cut, embossed gold paper, shredded mica and pailettes", on paper, c. 1860, English. The tinsel additions are limited to jewellery etc, and the frame. File:Print, "Tinsel Picture"- Napoleon in His Study, ca. 1860 (CH 18441909).jpg, ''Napoleon in His Study'', c. 1860, matching previous

Notes

References

*Areford, Davis S., ''The Viewer and the Printed Image in Late Medieval Europe'', pp. 60–66 (using google books page refs), Routledge, 2017, , 9781351539678
google books
*"Grove": "Flock and tinsel prints", ''The Grove Encyclopedia of Materials and Techniques in Art'', ed. Gerald W. R. Ward, 2008, Oxford University Press, , 9780195313918 *Rickards, Maurice, ''The Encyclopedia of Ephemera: A Guide to the Fragmentary Documents of Everyday Life for the Collector, Curator, and Historian'', 2000, Psychology Press, 2000, {{ISBN, 0415926483, 9780415926485
google books

Collections

Notes

References

Further reading