Engraved Copper Printing Plate

An antique copper printing plate depicting a coastal seaside town.

The engraving would be traced from an original drawing onto the copper. The copper plate is then mounted to a thick wooden block. Ink would be applied onto the copper plate before the blocks are pressed onto paper, card or whatever is to be printed. The image is then transferred.

These would have been used in books or newspapers around the early 20th century – a painstaking way to print before modern printing was as easy as it is today!