Once Roberts had settled on F.G. Moon as his publisher, he turned his attention to completing the drawings and watercolors from which the lithography would be produced. It was left to Moon to locate and hire the lithographers, the colorists, and the authors who would provide the written text for the volumes. For the lithography Moon considered J.D. Harding, a watercolorist, as well as a team which would include Charles and Louis Haghe, brothers from Belgium.
Roberts favored Louis Haghe, who had built a well deserved reputation as a lithographer who could transfer the feel of the artist's work, as well as the detail, to the finished lithographs. In the end, with Roberts' encouragement Louis Haghe took on the entire project himself, a monumental task which would span seven years. The choice of Haghe, coupled with the double tintstone lithography technique, turned out to be critical to the quality and enduring popularity of the finished works. Haghe was a talented artist in his own right, and was able to transfer the nuances of Roberts' drawings and style to the lithographic stones. Haghe worked from drawings and watercolors provided for each image by Roberts. The actual lines and tones on the stones and in the resulting prints, however, are Haghe's.
Haghe could work in fine detail when needed, however, and was a master of the sophisticated techniques necessary to coax various tones, shades and textures from the stones. The detail and delicacy in the execution of the face of Ramses II from The Great Temple of Aboo Simbel is one of the finest works of tintstone lithography known.
Haghe's ability to produce dramatic highlights and shadows, delighted Roberts, and the two became fast friends, making several trips to the continent together in the ensuing years. Later, Haghe would become a principal in Day & Sons, which published a later quarto edition of Roberts' works, and the firm name would become Day & Haghe. Of Haghe, Roberts stated "There can be only one opinion as to the masterly manner in which he executed his work" - high praise from one accomplished artist to another.
