Old Paper, New Artists

Hand coloring was standard operating procedure until chromolithography established its dominance in the middle of the 19^th century. Here is a typical hand colored print from the Museum of Natural History collection.
Interestingly, these procedures were used not just used in expensive productions for the rich. Here you can see an example taken from a children's Scripture Alphabet.
If you look at the sheet carefully, you will see that each picture and letter is handpainted. Because these materials were designed for daily use by everyday people, they had to be produced quickly and inexpensively. As you can see from the enlargement above, each letter was probably painted with just a few brush strokes. An entire picture could be painted in just several brush strokes. The work was typically done by women, and for low wages.
The result? Art that people could use. Art that people could afford. Art that reflected its owners' passions and interests. Sounds good to us!