Sold: Lithography Stone

Lithography stone etched with advertising cuts / limestone / c. 1880s

Rare antique lithography stone with hand-drawn and etched Victorian advertising images — likely intended for printing on trade cards or packaging — c. late nineteenth century. One side features the clothing store of F.W. Humphrey & Co., which stood at the northeast corner of Broadway and Pine Street in St. Louis, Missouri. Topped with the company banner flying above, the rendering of the building’s ornate facade is extraordinarily detailed, and features scenes from the street below, including streetcars, carriages, and pedestrians. The other side depicts two separate images, one of a worker at a sharpening stone, the other a mind-boggling warped shoe, drawn in such a manner that it could be printed without distortion on a half-round or tubular surface (perhaps intended for a cardboard tube of shoelaces). What makes these hand-drawn images more incredible is that the stone would be ground down after use, erasing the work to allow for new lithography subjects.

Etched with these detailed, disparate images of lost American commerce, the stone is not only a rare piece of printing history, it’s also an artful object — its tablet-like heft, raw stone edges, and the inexplicable placement of the images give it a surreal, sculptural quality.

Good antique condition, with minor scratches to the stone and etched images (see photos).

Measurements

Approximately 8 inches long

Shipping

Free in the continental United States. If an international buyer, please contact me for a shipping estimate by clicking here.