Trade Card for Osborne, Engraver and Printer
19th century
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 15/16 × 3 7/8 in. (7.5 × 9.9 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
26.28.347
Art Historical Context
This charming 19th-century trade card advertises the services of Osborne, Engraver and Printer, crafted anonymously by a British artist. Measuring just under 3 by 4 inches, this petite engraving exemplifies the ephemera of Victorian commerce—small, collectible promotional items exchanged like business cards to attract clients. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum Art's Drawings and Prints, it was generously gifted by collector Bella C. Landauer 1926, preserving a slice of everyday artistry. Engraving, the medium here, involves incising fine lines into a metal plate with a burin, then inking and ...