out the orange, lemon yellow, vermilion, and gray; but in that case, we would have been obliged to resort to a great many three-color mixtures. As it is, we obtain nearly all of the colors desired by simple two-color mixtures. This fact makes it much easier for the printer to produce any of the mixed colors shown in this book.
Plate 1.—By reference to this Plate, the reader will notice that the colors are numbered from 1 to 12, and on all of the different plates upon which they appear, are referred to by number, except in a few instances where the name serves the purpose better. In producing the half-tone colors and tints we necessarily used white, which is not shown on Plate 1, but is always referred to by name.
The first three colors are the primaries—red, yellow, and blue. Then follows the three secondaries—orange, green, and purple. Then follows deep blue, rose lake, lemon yellow, vermilion, gray, and black. Purple was selected instead of violet, as one of the secondary colors, because it lies about half way between the red and blue, while the violet is a little too near the blue. One of the main objects in making this selection of colors, was to have them as far removed from one another as possible, so that we could get a greater variety of mixed colors.
After having decided to adopt the twelve colors just named, as a key, or foundation for the work, we had a small quantity of each color made, and then tested them thoroughly. Those that were not satisfactory were re-made until they were just as wanted. Then we had a large quantity of each color made, in fact, enough to print the entire work. A few of these colors were returned for slight changes, which were easily made.
After the colors were all satisfactory, we proceeded to find how many different colors we could get by two-color mixtures. We first mixed Nos. 1 and 2, that is, red and yellow, in different proportions; then 1 and 3, 1 and 4, 1 and 5, 1 and 6, etc., until we had run to the
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