Robert G. Hacker collection of engraving tools

Collection

Identifier: CSC-0036

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of tools used for hand-finishing or retouching metal photo-engraving plates, especially halftone plates, before printing, a routine process employed in the 1890s through the 1950s. The collection includes 44 wood-handled scribe awls, gravers, burnishers, and other tools enclosed in a cloth wrapper outfitted with pockets; a copper and wood plate holder; and a sand-filled leather cushion set in a wood frame, all undated. Also present are a Waterhouse stop, circa 1890 (used for aperture settings in wooden process cameras, since superseded by the iris diaphragm), a pair of glass halftone screen wedges, circa 1940 (used to set distances from screen to film in order to control focus and sharpness), and an undated pamphlet, A chart of screen tints for letterpress engravings, designed by Will Burtin and published by the Photo Engravers Board of Trade of New York.

Dates

Creation: circa 1890-1940

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to researchers.

Biographical information on Robert G. Hacker

Robert G. Hacker received his PhD from the University of Iowa, and was a professor of newspaper management and computer applications at Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York.