The growth and vicissitudes of commerce 1872

Curator: Before us, we have an open book printed in 1872, titled "The Growth and Vicissitudes of Commerce," penned by John Yeats. What strikes you first about it? Editor: Oh, the pages have aged with a graceful touch of sepia! The whole presentation is...surprisingly welcoming for something so scholarly sounding. Like discovering a kindly grandfather's forgotten journal in the attic, hinting at tales of grand ventures and the fickle winds of fate. Curator: It's interesting you mention the "winds of fate," as "vicissitudes" carries significant weight. The book itself presents a narrative, as it states, covering the years 1500 to 1789. This period is significant for colonialism and industrialisation and a big transition on views and understanding of value, so it really plays on that cultural anxiety. Editor: Precisely! And I imagine flipping through the pages… it feels as if it is less about facts, but more a narrative, almost a morality tale spun from global trade. Curator: The inscription also references “industry and intercourse of civilized nations”, all key themes in that period. In addition, Yeats, being the author, uses typography as a deliberate artistic choice to convey authority but also openness to allow the readers in the text. The inclusion of another language perhaps for context also shows the reach of commerce at this period. Editor: I see it too, it speaks to a longing for something more…the typography sets a stage where intellect meets the sea change of emerging industrialisation that really comes later. It hints at a time where thought precedes industry and ingenuity still has its hands in the creative process. Curator: It makes you consider how this object itself—a physical book—participated in and witnessed these very vicissitudes. Editor: Yes. Now I almost hear the faint creak of a ship's hull! A beautiful piece that merges so well its artistic and historic intent, that brings commerce as an extension of civilisation.