Lithography was accidentally invented at the end of the 18th century, when a German playwright discovered that marks from a greasy crayon, placed on a slab of limestone, could be used to make multiple copies of the text. From that point in time, lithography rapidly developed into a fine art. During the 20th century such artists as Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, Miro, Leger, Calder, Matisse and Liechtenstein were producing colorful limited-edition fine art lithographs. Lithography is still practiced today by both graphic and fine artists.
Animation cels (correct spelling) are the building blocks of cartoons and animation, a process that begins with a series of drawings on paper. Next, the animator places a clear piece of celluloid over the original drawing and traces the figure, adding movement with each subsequent drawing. After the cartoon is made, it is possible to sell the drawings or the celluloid images as animation art. When the Courvoisier Gallery displayed the images from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, each image was converted into a special-issue, multiple edition print for the exhibition.
Today, lithographic printmaking is taught in most every art school. The process has not changed all that much in the last two hundred years, but the imagery associated with this type of printmaking has definitely changed. It is even possible to convert color photographs to the lithographic technique by use of the half dot technique. Even so lithographic prints made from a limestone plate have not lost their value over the years. If anything their value has grown steadily, as these prints are highly valued and widely collected as fine art.
Today these two art forms have gone in very different directions. Lithography has been used less and less as a commercial venue and more as a fine art medium. With the opening of such places as the Tamarind Institute in New Mexico during the 60's, lithographic printing from a limestone slab has re-emerged as a fine art medium. Advent of computer graphics has had little effect on the popularity and value of both color and black-and-white lithographs.
During the postwar period one-of-a-kind items and specially designed limited-edition prints from the animation studios have grown in popularity and value. However, over the years it has been the one-of-a-kind cels, drawings and layouts from the early years of animation that have held the most interest and value. The specially produced limited editions have actually decreased in value. Since the advent of the computer age the method of making animation has changed greatly, but yet the original Disney artwork from the 30's, 40's and even the 50's has not lost any value.
During the thirties and forties, color lithographs were used to advertise sporting events, music performances and travel destinations. During the depression printing with the lithographic process was affordable and often used to produce high quality art posters and advertising. At the same time the animation process was just beginning to be seen as a source of original art. Still, the primary purpose of animation was to produce cartoons for entertainment purposes.