Trade Card for Nosworthy & Wells, Lithographers
19th century
Medium
Commerical Lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 1/16 × 4 5/16 in. (7.8 × 11 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
26.28.302
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th British commerce with this charming *Trade Card for Nosworthy & Wells,ographers*. Produced anonymously by the firm itself, this petite commercial lithograph (measuring just 3 1/16 × 4 5/16 inches) served as a promotional tool, showcasing their expertise in lithography—a revolutionary printing technique that allowed for affordable, colorful mass production. Trade cards like this one were ubiquitous in Victorian-era advertising, handed out at shops or mailed to customers, blending artistry with business savvy. Lithography, perfected in the early 1800s, relied...