"François-Philippe Charpentier (b. Blois, 1734; d. there 22 July 1817) was a French engraver and inventor.
His father was a bookbinder, a poor man who reportedly made many sacrifices so that his son might attend the Jesuit college at Blois; but after young Charpentier had studied there a few years he was compelled to leave and work to support himself. He chose to pursue the art of engraving, and entered the atelier of a copperplate engraver in Paris. He made a number of inventions related to this field, the first being a purely mechanical process for engraving in aquatint (gravure au lavis) and in colour. After making many prints using the technique, he sold the secret. An engraver and patron of art, the Comte de Caylus, was one of the first to use the new machine." - (en.wikipedia.org 12.08.2020)
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