Trade Card for Osborne, Engraver and Printer 1800 - 1900

This is a trade card for Osborne, an engraver and printer operating on Lombard Street in London. The image is a copper-plate engraving. The allegorical figures of Britannia flank Osborne's company name, while a British lion reclines at the right. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the rise of the printing press facilitated the growth of the advertising industry, as businesses sought to promote their goods and services to a wider audience. Osborne, as an engraver, would have been at the heart of this development. Such images would have circulated widely, often ending up in albums or scrapbooks. They offer a fascinating glimpse into the visual culture of the period. To fully understand this trade card, we might consult trade directories, newspaper advertisements, and other printed ephemera to better understand the world in which Osborne operated. Through such historical research, the contingent meaning of the image is revealed.