Trade Card for John Fothergill, Commercial and Historical Engraver 1800 - 1900

This trade card for John Fothergill, a commercial and historical engraver working out of Manchester, was made at an unknown date, by an anonymous artist. These cards, popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, advertised a tradesman's services, and this one offers insight into the commercial world of the industrial revolution. Engravings of factories, machinery, ships, and overseas trading appear alongside images that denote local and aristocratic connections. Consider the image of the New Market building, the head of the deer, or the fashionable gentleman and lady. The card conveys Fothergill’s skill in representing different aspects of the economic and social life of his time. The commercial success of Manchester depended on these connections. To learn more, you might consult local records of Manchester's tradesmen, histories of its institutions, and visual compendiums of trade cards. Together these can reveal the social and economic context in which Fothergill operated. The value of this artwork, then, is a product of its historical moment.