DESCRIPTION: SOLD
Very attractive woodblock engraving. Panoramic view shows warships from the British Navy under review at Spithead near the Isle of Wight at an early period in the transition from sail to steam power. Archivally matted. Dimensions with the mat are approx. 26" W x 20" H. Pages 146 and 147. From the London Illustrated News August 14, 1858.
The illustration and quotation on this trade card were not unique to John Cosgrove but rather part of a stock design widely used by 19th-century printers who specialized in producing humorous or sentimental advertising cards. Lithographers commonly kept catalogs of ready-made comic scenes—like this seaside mother-and-child vignette with the line “It’s a wise child that knows its own mother at the sea side”—which merchants could customize by adding their own business imprint below. In this case, the printer simply inserted Cosgrove’s name, trade description, and Poydras Market address into the blank advertising panel at the bottom, allowing a small New Orleans fish dealer to benefit from professionally printed imagery at a fraction of the cost of commissioning original artwork.
PUBLICATION DATE: 1858
GEOGRAPHIC AREA: United Kingdom
BODY OF WATER: Spithead
CONDITION: Very good.
Left margin slightly wrinkled outside the image. Clean and bright with no browning.
COLORING: None
ENGRAVER: Unknown
SIZE: 20
" x
14 "
ITEM PHYSICAL LOCATION: 0
PRICE: $
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