Type: Article
Fitzgerald, Desmond. ‘Early Irish Trade-Cards and Other Eighteenth-Century Ephemera’, Eighteenth-century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr, Vol. 2 (1987), pp 115-132.
This essay by Desmond Fitzgerald, Knight of Glin, explores the importance of Irish trade-cards, labels, bill-heads and other trade ephemera and shows their ability to evoke vividly the daily lives of the upper classes of eighteenth and early nineteenth-century Ireland. Fitzgerald describes mid-eighteenth century Dublin as a major centre for the sale of luxury goods, rivalling such urban centres as London, Rome and Amsterdam. Eleven figures of bill-heads and trade-cards are included revealing the lavish purchases and tastes of Charles Coleman, Richard Malone, the earls of Shannon, the earls of Meath and Sir Richard Levinge.