Sale of A Wife
Woodcut
19th century (printed)
19th century (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This ballad demonstrates some of the problems involved in dating commerical wood engravings. The 'Sale of a Wife' revives the use of tinted paper and gothic lettering used in the 'Black letter' broadsides of the 16th and 17th centuries as well as re-using eighteenth century wood blocks. The wove paper on which it is printed (which was not widely available until the 19th century), the format and subject matter, however, suggest a nineteenth century date.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Sale of A Wife |
| Materials and techniques | Woodcut and letterpress print |
| Brief description | 'Sale of A Wife'; a broadside; wood engraving and letterpress. Probably a revivalist example of the black-letter form of broadside recounting the traditional tale of wife-selling. Printed by M'Cernack. England, 19th century. |
| Physical description | 'Sale of A Wife'. A broadside and four broadside-ballads. Woodcut and letterpress print. Probably a revivalist example of the black-letter form of broadside recounting the traditional tale of wife-selling, which is, in this instance, accompanied by The Wedding Song. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | M'Cernack, Printer. (Lower-right corner of sheet.) |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This ballad demonstrates some of the problems involved in dating commerical wood engravings. The 'Sale of a Wife' revives the use of tinted paper and gothic lettering used in the 'Black letter' broadsides of the 16th and 17th centuries as well as re-using eighteenth century wood blocks. The wove paper on which it is printed (which was not widely available until the 19th century), the format and subject matter, however, suggest a nineteenth century date. |
| Bibliographic reference | Edge, Kevin. The Art of Selling Songs : Graphics for the Music Business, 1690-1990. London : Futures Publications, c.1991. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.860-1954 |
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| Record created | June 30, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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