Trade Card for J. Hasler, Writing & Historical Engraver
19th century
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 1/2 × 3 9/16 in. (6.3 × 9 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ephemera
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1958
Accession Number
58.643.8
Art Historical Context
Step into the bustling world of 19th British commerce with this charming trade card for J.ler, a skilled "Writing & Historical Engraver." Produced anonymously in the Victorian era, these pocket-sized advertisements—measuring just 2½ × 3⅝ inches—served as portable calling cards, showcasing a craftsman's services to potential clients. Hasler specialized in meticulous engravings for documents, invitations, and historical illustrations, reflecting the era's explosion in printed ephemera amid the Industrial Revolution's printing boom. Crafted as an engraving, the card exemplifies intaglio printing...