Art of the Draw: Advertising Posters
from the McCormick-International Harvester Collection
PRINTING TECHNOLOGY POSTER
An Explosion of Color
he introduction of color
lithography into the United States in 1840 began a
revolution in graphic design. Before lithography, color
illustrations were expensive and uncommon because they
had to be produced by hand one at a time. Lithography
allowed production of multiple copies of complex,
multi-colored images. By the 1880s, inexpensive color
prints had flooded American homes, businesses and public
spaces and changed our visual expectations forever.
![Harvesting Machinery poster.](images/ad-p8-l.jpg)
Color Lithograph, ca. 1876
Printed by Clay and Co. (Buffalo and Chicago)for C.H. & L.J. McCormick (Chicago)
22.25" x 28"
WHI 2343