Design from the Momordica Charantia by P. Moorgesan

This object is housed in an album of British trade cards from the collections of Bella C. Landauer, Ambrose Heal, and others. The term “trade card” is of nineteenth-century origin and refers to a card that advertises the services of an individual or business. Eighteenth-century trade cards were often printed on thin sheets of paper and referred to as “tradesmen’s cards,” “tradesmen’s bills,” or “shopkeeper’s bills.” During the Victorian era, trade cards were often reinforced on pasteboard and closely resemble business cards today.

The Momordica Charantia is a tropical and subtropical vine grown widely in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean for its edible fruit, a type of bitter melon. The vine of the Momordica Charantia decorates the border of this print and two melons can be seen underneath the vine at the top left and right corners.