Trade Card of Isaac Puller, Cane Chairs at the Golden Plow, St. Paul's Church Yard

Art Historical Context

This trade card from 1714 served as an early form of advertising for Isaac Puller, a chair maker specializing in cane chairs at the sign of the Golden Plow in London’s St. Paul’s Church Yard. Such printed cards were common in the early eighteenth century, helping merchants promote their wares to a growing urban clientele near the newly completed St. Paul’s Cathedral. The sheet’s modest size made it easy to distribute by hand or include with purchases, reflecting the rise of commercial culture in Georgian London. Printed in black type with later handwritten additions in pen and brown ink, the card demonstrates the practical use of print technology for everyday business. Its simple yet functional design highlights how artisans like Puller used accessible media to reach customers before widespread newspaper advertising. Now part of the Metropolitan Museum’s collection through a 1925 gift, this modest print offers a glimpse into the material world of eighteenth-century craftsmanship and trade.