Callithea Sapphira from The Butterflies and Moths of America Part 1 1860

This print of a "Callithea Sapphira" butterfly was made by Louis Prang & Co. This is a chromolithograph, a color printing technique that utilizes multiple lithographic stones, each applied with a different colored ink, to produce an image. The process demands precision, and the success of chromolithography depended on the skills of the draughtsman who transferred the image to stones, the color separators, and the pressmen who had to align the stones. This division of labor was typical of industrial production. The texture of the print, though subtle, is palpable, and the layering of inks gives a sense of depth to the butterfly's wings. Prang's firm, through their detailed and vibrant prints, helped democratize access to art and education. They reveal the ways that industrial processes could be harnessed to create objects of beauty, blurring the lines between art, craft, and commercial production.