Design for Trade Card for Samuel P. Avery

Art Historical Context

This delicate 1873 design for a trade card was created by Samuel Putnam Avery Sr. in collaboration with the celebrated British illustrator George Cruikshank. Executed in watercolor and graphite on a sheet measuring just 2 3/8 by 3 7/8 inches, the drawing served as a preparatory sketch for a promotional card used by Avery, a prominent New York art dealer and publisher. The small format and mixed media reflect the intimate, precise work typical of 19th-century commercial illustration, where lively scenes of men and women likely helped convey elegance and approachability to potential clients. Trade cards were popular advertising tools in the Victorian era, blending art with commerce to distinguish businesses in an increasingly competitive market. Avery’s dual role as artist and dealer underscores the growing professionalization of the American art trade during the Gilded Age, while Cruikshank’s involvement brings a touch of the witty, detailed caricature style for which he was famous in Britain. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum’s Department of Drawings and Prints, this work offers a fascinating window into the commercial side of 19th-century art collecting. It was generously donated in 1965 by Avery’s descendants, preserving a personal artifact of New York’s artistic circles.