In 1455, thanks to Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press, his Bible became the first book printed in Europe. Throughout history, Bibles have been used to display some of the best and newest printing techniques. This Bible was printed in 1892 by the National Publishing Company. It uses a variety of printing techniques like letterpress, lithography, chromolithography, wood engraving, and steel engraving. At the time, lithography, chromolithography, and steel engraving had only become popular that century. When printing Bibles the goal was to make them as accessible and appealing to as many people as possible. The illustrations in this Bible look similar to advertisements and popular art at the time. Brightly colored, ornamental, almost medieval-style designs were very popular at the time and appear throughout the book. The use of chromolithography also allowed them to combine text and illustrations into one overlapping design. This is utilized in this Bible to add weight to certain passages.
It also features a large variety of typefaces. Since printers weren’t tied exclusively to letterpress anymore they were able to experiment with many different typefaces in various colors. Earlier in the century, with the popularization of wood type, designers started to get more creative with typefaces. By the late 19th century there was a large variety of typefaces to choose from and lithography allowed for so many new and creative ways to use them. This Bible displays many of the creative ways to use type that were new at the time. Bibles from different points in history are a great way to see and learn about different printing methods.
