A ‘mat’ of Dante’s head and shoulders made by the Hollywood Mat Syndicate

In the mid 20th century, in the era of letterpress printing, small local newspapers relied on syndicates like Hollywood Mat. Instead of setting type or engraving images locally, newspapers would buy lightweight papier-mâché or cardboard “mats” through the mail and pour molten lead over them to create their printing plates. The first image shown here is the mat. The image on it is barely discernable. However at higher magnification, as in the second image, it is easy to see the height differences that allow the mat to be used to create a halftone plate. If the mat is photographed in glancing light it is easier still to what the mat is depicting. This mat shows a well-known head and shoulders of Dante, as shown in the next image. The final image shows the other side of the mat including details of the company.