Printing Ink Manufacturing In Britain And Its Impact On Print Culture And Society: 1850-1900

Printing ink manufacturing in Britain 1850-1900 transformed the production, appearance, and uses of printed material across the world. My project is the first to explore the inks from which texts and images were made: how were they produced, and why does that matter? By studying the two most substantial ink manufacturers' archives, my research explains how industrial ink fundamentally changed printed material into chemical-industrial products. This production change is a paradigm-shift which altered printed material, British culture, and industrial society. Through my novel lens, the concept of materiality is reimagined, transforming ink into a heritage material in and of itself.