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1982-4, Print
BOOKS BOUND and Sold, Gilt or plain, by Andrew Barclay, Next Door but one to the sign of the Three Kings.
1982-4, Print

BOOKS BOUND and Sold, Gilt or plain, by Andrew Barclay, Next Door but one to the sign of the Three Kings.

Dateca. 1756
OriginAmerica, Massachusetts, Boston
MediumLine engraving on laid paper
DimensionsOverall: 3 3/4 × 4 1/4in. (9.5 × 10.8cm)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1982-4
DescriptionThe cartouche below the central image reads: "Three KINGS in Cornhill./ BOSTON"
Label TextEngraved trade cards helped tradesmen and women advertise their businesses in the 18th century. This is a rare example of an American trade card for Andrew Barclay a bookbinder working in Boston in the 1760s. The scene shows a bookbinder decorating the edges of several books in the press. His tools for gilding are heated in a brazier at the end of the bench.