The Mint

February 1, 1809

Not on view

In the late thirteenth century the Royal Mint moved into the Tower of London and produced, from there, most of Britain's coinage. Pugin and Rowlandson here show workers feeding metal blanks into presses that hold dies able to stamp beyween sixty and eighty coins a minute. In 1810, shortly after this print was made, a new Mint, equiped with steam-powered machinery, opened on Little Tower Hill just outside the fortress's walls.

Artwork Details

Title: The Mint
Series/Portfolio: Microcosm of London, pl. 55
Artist: Designed and etched by Thomas Rowlandson (British, London 1757–1827 London)
Artist: Designed and etched by Auguste Charles Pugin (British (born France), Paris 1768/69–1832 London)
Artist: Aquatint by John Bluck (British, 1791–1832)
Publisher: Rudolph Ackermann, London (British, active 1794–1832)
Date: February 1, 1809
Medium: Hand-colored etching and aquatint
Dimensions: Sheet (trimmed): 9 5/16 × 11 1/8 in. (23.6 × 28.3 cm)
Plate: 8 3/4 × 10 5/8 in. (22.3 × 27 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
Object Number: 17.3.1167-129
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

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