A Reflection on the Lisa Unger Baskin Collection

I came across this piece on our trip to the Grolier Club. This artifact was in the Lisa Unger Baskin Collection and is a wanted poster by Elizabeth Delahoy which was printed in the year 1823. It was amazing to see a piece from almost two hundred years ago, and by a women at that.

A wanted for murder sign was meant to catch the attention of the public to find the alleged culprit. Learning about the process of being able to make a print during the 1800s, it is not easy work. During those times they did not have the type of machinery we have today that print hundreds of thousands of copies within minutes. Typesetting was a time-consuming task but Elizabeth Delahoy found patience and passion in her print work.

What I found amazing in Delahoy’s work was her perseverance. Delahoy owned a print making shop along with her husband. She had lost both her husband and the hope in a tragic fire. Despite her losses, she continued her work and carried on the business through 1824. Delahoy would focus on typographically complex books as well as small jobs like the poster I have chosen.

This wanted for murder photo displays the speed behind Delahoy’s work with getting a print out of her shop and into the public’s hands. A message like this one would be one that needs quick attention, and with typesetting this was not an easy task.

Works Cited