Advice appreciated on small antique drawings

Hello
I would be grateful for some advice on these two small pictures I have. I think they are antique and are both on embossed cards. I assumed they were small engravings or etchings but looking closely through a magnifier they appear to be very fine pencil drawings. They measure 19 x 11 and 14 x 10 cm. They are certainly not engravings or etchings.

I suppose my question is whether there were any other printing techniques that could produce these? My only reason for doubt is that they are so fine and precise.

Thank you in advance.

 

Litographs?

 

That crossed my mind but I wasn't sure if lithographs were used in those days for small pictures like this. Also, would doing a lithograph on embossed paper be a problem?

 

Not if you embossed the paper after printing...

 

On the larger one the 'drawing' goes right to the edge of the embossing as if added afterwards. It follows the contours.

The smaller one is a Dobbs embossed card.

To be honest the more I look I think they are original drawings.

 

I think you'd need sharper and closer details to determine. My guess is engravings.

 

Hope these help. Not getting the best photos due to the glass.

 

Based on those, I'm not seeing what I'd expect to see for engravings, or intaglio prints... so maybe drawings or lithographs. I'd guess lithograph to be more likely, but don't know.

 

So it could be a lithograph of a pencil drawing? Is that common?

 

Can you please take a close up picture of the rock closest to the water in the first scene?

 

Hope these help.

 

Thank you, does it appear to say WA, or is that just the rock lines?

 

I hadn't noticed that but I think its just lines on the rock.

 

Ok thank you.

 

Common enough, yes.

That's not to say they can't be original drawings. I can't tell.

 

Would it look pretty much exactly like the original?

 

Yes, lithographic images can reproduce fine detail.

 

Well in that case I will probably never know. Im going to put them on ebay. I'll describe them as pencil drawings / lithographs to cover me. My gut feeling says they're drawings though as I don't know how they would have got a lithograph to fit exactly into that embossing.

 

Find someone local who does know and can give you a hands-on opinion. If you list as described, any potential buyer will have to assume they are lithographic prints.

 

Sure looks like a "WA" to me......it's almost 'boxed' off!!!! I only lightened & contrasted the image.....and cropped.....