Trade Card for John Lodge, Copper Plate Engraver
18th century
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 6 13/16 × 6 5/16 in. (17.3 × 16 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ephemera
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Bella C. Landauer, 1926
Accession Number
26.28.249
Art Historical Context
Step back to the vibrant trade hubs of 18th-century with this charming *Trade Card for John Lodge, Copper Engraver*. Produced anonymously around that era, this small engraving (measuring just 6 13/16 × 6 5/16 inches) served as an early form of business advertising. Trade cards like this one were handed out by artisans and shopkeepers, doubling as calling cards and promotional flyers to attract clients in an age before mass media. Crafted in the precise medium of copper plate engraving—a technique John Lodge himself specialized in—the card showcases intricate lines and detailed imagery possibl...