Image Borders

Each of the illustrations is surrounded by a typeset border; that is, the border was printed along with the rest of the type, while the copperplate engraving was printed later. This can be seen in the sample below (from the elephant illustration; the inset "E" is type from the same page).

The border is made up of several pieces of type: vertical, horizontal and corner pieces are separate. The typesetter was not particularly successful in aligning the sections. The border type pieces were probably stock elements that were reused as needed.

The difference between the typeset border and the copperplate engraving is clear; the border ink is rough and has spread on the paper, while the engraving lines are sharp. This is a result, at least in part, of the different methods used to print with type and with copperplate engravings.

 

Illustrations:
Image Borders