Prints

The print collection at Colonial Williamsburg provides a window into the 18th-century world. Household inventories, newspaper advertisements, merchant’s orders, and personal correspondence suggest that a wide range of printed material was enjoyed by colonial Americans.

The collection is strong in prints known to have been used in America, but the Foundation also seeks to acquire period graphics that illustrate 18th-century life in general. This aspect of the collection provides historical documentation to aid in the modern interpretation of the restored town of Williamsburg. Scenes that depict everyday life such as dining, playing games, or routine domestic activities provide an important visual resource to understand the taste and social behavior of our forebears. Prints illustrating shop interiors or tradesmen at work show how objects were produced and marketed. Social and political cartoons indicate trends in fashions and customs, ideas, and attitudes that were rapidly adopted by those living in the American colonies.