The Merry Silversmith

Well the wait is over, my business cards arrived in the post this morning! You’ll be glad to hear that everything was spelt correctly and the image worked out perfectly.
So here they are..

You’re asking “how does a woman balancing stuff of her head represent a silversmith?” Good question! I found this image in a book I have ‘Women Silversmiths 1685-1845’ (The National Museum of Women i the Arts, Washington D.C.). It’s an engraving by Marcellus Laroon called ‘The Merry Milkmaid’ and illustrates an unusual custom relating to silver that existed between the 17th and 19th century. Laroon produced a collection of street sellers engravings in his series ‘The Cryes of the City of London’. This image is of milkmaid dressed up for May day. Apparently this was the day when all the milkmaid’s of London came out in their best clothes and decorated their pails with silverware which was tied with bows, flowers and herbs. This was known as ‘The Milkmaid’s Garland’ and usually consisted of borrowed silverware which would be returned to the pawn brokers that evening. The pile of utensils was carried on the milkmaid’s head as she danced through the streets collecting tips from customers and passersby.

Anyway I don’t plan on reviving this tradition but I thought it was a good image to represent women in business and some alternative uses for silverware! I’ll be debuting the cards at Barcamp Cork (November 20th), you can’t miss me I’ll be the one with the teapot stuck to my head!