Trade card for Frazer, Army Printer, Stationer and Bookbinder 1736

This trade card for Frazer, printed in 1736, presents us with more than just a receipt; it's a vignette of enduring motifs. Note the cherubic figure at the left—a distant echo of Cupid, the god of love, here repurposed to adorn a commercial document. Such figures, originally emblems of divine or aristocratic power, find themselves domesticated, softened for the marketplace. Consider the acanthus leaves framing the text; they’re a nod to classical antiquity, symbols of enduring life and regeneration. We see this motif echoed through the ages, from Roman temples to Renaissance frescoes, each time adapted to new contexts. The very act of framing words with ornament suggests a desire to elevate commerce, to imbue it with a sense of timelessness. It's as if the printer seeks to cloak the ephemeral nature of trade in the garb of eternal values. The collective memory embedded in these symbols engages us still, a testament to their enduring power.