Printer's Mark c. 16th century

Editor: Here we have an anonymous 1571 print entitled "Printer's Mark" from the Harvard Art Museums. It's incredibly detailed! What sort of social role did these marks play at the time? Curator: Well, these marks were crucial in establishing credibility in a rapidly expanding print market. Consider the proliferation of texts: How did readers know what to trust? Editor: So it's like a brand? Curator: Precisely! And notice the imagery: the eagle, the trumpeting angels. What values do you think this printer was trying to convey? Editor: Maybe trustworthiness, quality, and a connection to established authority? I never thought about printers needing branding like that before.