Men in three cornered hats and suits of the time period clamor in a square, throwing stock shares while a large ledger stands in the center announcing prices

The Wind-Buyers, Who for Wind, Lose Money and Goods, and Ruin Their Wives and Children

a hectic street scene showing the vices of the Quincampoix -- France's stock trading center

Rue Quincampoix in the Year 1720

designed to appear as scattered papers on a desk are depictions of traders crowding streets and coffee houses. There is also a playing card, a poem entitled: Bubble Poem and a copy of the London Gazette

The Bubblers Medley

The Bubblers Medley, or a Sketch of the Times: Being Europe’s Memorial for the Year 1720

Anonymous

1823 (restrike of 1721 plate)

Etching and engraving

This trompe l’oeil-style print, reissued from a plate dating to 1721, commemorates the crash while also commenting on the duplicity of the paper trade. The anonymous print- maker creates an illusion of randomly piled documents, hinting playfully at the risks of marketplace deception. Items including a playing card, a copy of the London Gazette, Jonathan Swift’s satirical poem The Bubble, a view of sea vessels, and Antoine Humblot’s famous print of rue Quinquempoix appear as if casually assembled on a desk. At lower right, a trade card—featuring, appropriately, a bubble-blowing putto—bears the address of the prominent print seller, Carington Bowles (1724–1793), whose family shop also had a branch opposite Exchange Alley.

Holding Division: The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints, and Photographs

Catalog Record: View catalog record

Digital Collections: View in Digital Collections

The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. This item may not be in the public domain under the laws of other countries.