Prints and London print shops

A Print Seller stood outside his shop, Anonymous, c.1812-24

In the mid to late eighteenth century, certain publishers and print sellers began to specialise in caricature and comic images such as Matthew and Mary Darly who opened their shop in 1762.

Print sellers had long been a presence in London, but the enormous demand for prints led to the proliferation of shops throughout the city. The shops provided an area to display and sell satirical prints and feed a flourishing European trade.